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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25316671">The Best Things in Life Come in Three's</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurtleElephant/pseuds/TurtleElephant'>TurtleElephant</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Domestic Fluff, Enoshima Junko Being Enoshima Junko, F/M, Family Drama, Human K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), M/M, Mukuro Ikusaba: mostly responsible parent, Multi, Non-Linear Narrative, Oma Kokichi Being an Asshole, Sailor Moon Cosplay, School Yard Fight, Slice of Life, dont let kids watch elfen lied folks, implied past neglect, nagito komaeda is doing just fine actually, polyamorous family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:02:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25316671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurtleElephant/pseuds/TurtleElephant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Non-Despair AU Focusing on a young Shuichi Saihara as he navigates his life living with his new adoptive poly parents. Non-Linear chapters, each story being a different chapter in daily life.  Heavy KomaHinaNami, but it's far from the only ship in the story. Characters and relationships will be updated as they appear in the stories. Any and all feedback is much appreciated! </p><p>Chapter 8 - As Cruel As School Children Part 2 - Shuichi comes face to face with the aftermath of his altercation with Kokichi.</p><p>Chapter 9 - Open Hearts and Minds - Hajime is asked of a rather large favor from his long time friend Makoto, a favor of rather life alternating implications.</p><p>Chapter 10 - Playdate with Destiny - Shuichi reluctantly agrees to meet Junko's daughter Tsumugi and is given a rude introduction to the world of anime.<br/>Cross-posted on Fanfiction.net</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito/Nanami Chiaki, Hinata Hajime/Nanami Chiaki, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Komaeda Nagito/Nanami Chiaki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>182</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Bedtime</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shuichi doesn't like the dark. His bed provided minimal comfort even if he was protected by his trusted entourage of stuffed animals and favorite blanket. All of the armor in the world couldn't dispel the primitive fear in his heart. It wasn't even the fear of the unknown that darkness brings that bothered the young boy. No, it was the eerie silence that followed it that fueled anxiety. A silence that left Shuichi alone with his own thoughts. Thoughts that replayed the chaotic events of the last two months like a movie. Events that brought him into a new home, comfort in the arms of strangers. The recent memory of his father's voice crackling in shame over the phone had been stuck on repeat in Shuichi's mind since the call this morning. </p><p>"I know you'll be a better man than me, Shuichi."</p><p>His father's words echoed through Shuichi's ears as he fidgeted with the unknowns of his fathers fate. Even months after the arrest all Shuichi knew was that father was in jail for "working with the wrong kind of people'' but to this day he's had no luck with gaining further clarification. Perhaps he knew his heart just wouldn't bear the details. A deep sigh escaped Shuichi's lungs as he began tossing and turning feverishly. Father did try to bond with him every once in a while. Sometimes he was treated to a movie at the cinema six and dinner at the diner by the river. Such pleasant days were rare, as more nights than not were spent alone waiting for the patriarch to return home by his lonesome. Shuichi did not miss the nights spent fighting sleep as he waited for him. It's not like father would even check on him when he did stumble home late at night.</p><p>Tears welled up in Shuichi's eyes, a hurricane of grief and repressed loneliness battering his heart. He missed his father greatly even if he was aware of the distance that grew between them even before the arrest. Shuichi didn't want to cry, and he especially didn't want to alarm his guardians down the hall either. But sometimes the pain is just too strong to repress.</p><p>There was a funny irony to it all, the boy who lost one parent to the grips of death and the other to the punishment of the law ending up with not just two guardians, but under the care of three loving individuals. He loved his two new dads in the stern but caring Hinata and the eccentric yet intelligent Komaeda. He even found a mother for the first time in his life in the kind, if lazy, Nanami. The boy frowned as his uncertainties with how he should address his guardians flared up, being too polite to address them by their first names like they've insisted since meeting him at the café in what seems like ages ago.</p><p>He thought back to his guardians. He knew at least one of them had to still be awake, the clock besides Shuichi reading 10:45 pm. Shuichi didn't want to feel alone anymore. All he wanted in the world right now was to be hugged and reminded he wasn't alone. He needed Hinata. He needed Komaeda. He needed Nanami. And he wasn't going to feel any better by wallowing by himself.</p><p>Shuichi sat up in his bed, having calmed down enough to take action. The bad thoughts would only return if Shuichi stayed in his room. He took one last deep breath before grabbing his favorite stuffed tiger and climbing out of bed. Shuichi slowly shut the door behind him as he entered the dimly lit hallway. He glanced to his right and confirmed Nanami's den to be empty before creeping slowly towards the master bedroom at the other end of the hallway. As Shuichi approached the room, he noticed light escaping under the door and took it as a welcome sign that his hunch was correct. As he reached the wooden door Shuichi felt a sudden wave of self doubt before he could knock on the door.</p><p>"What if they think I'm too old for this?" Shuichi thought to himself out loud, despite only being the tender age of six.</p><p>"Would it be weird to ask? I mean they're not my real parents and why would they want another body in that big bed they all share?"</p><p>Shuichi stood at the door like a statue as he spoke to himself. He got so lost in his head that he didn't notice the door opening revealing a mildly surprised Hinata, who was certain Shuichi had already fallen asleep by now.</p><p>"Hey there, Shuichi" the older brunette piped up, smiling softly at the visibly distressed boy. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He paused. "Are you okay?"</p><p>Shuichi having been brought back to reality, turned into a mumbling mess once his mouth opened again.</p><p>"O-o-hyeahIwasjustgoingtothebathroomto… uh. Brush my teeth" Shuichi spat out. Hinata chuckled lightly, seeing through Shuichi's lie. He continued however.</p><p>"Yep, I was going to brush my teeth and I… Uh…" Shuichi sputtered as he heard himself out loud. One look at Hinata and he knew he was going nowhere with his fibs. At least his guardian didn't appear to be annoyed, a rarity Shuichi mused to himself.</p><p>"I could hear you mumbling from the hallway kiddo." Hinata stepped into the hallway and got down on his knee to look at his foster son.</p><p>"Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"</p><p>Hinata asked, going with the easiest guess he could think of. That guess seemingly being on target as Shuichi's response to the question was an embarrassed, shifted gaze back to the ground. Hinata sighed in relief, the full picture being clearer to him now. Shuichi looked back up at the brunette.</p><p>"Y-yeah. Well, I couldn't fall asleep because I was thinking about… my f-father."</p><p>Shuichi's voice dropped as he spoke. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder, as he looked back at Hinata who wore a sympathetic face. Courage came back to the boy as he found his voice again.</p><p>"Could I maybe sleep with you guys tonight? If that isn't weird or anything of course but if it was I would understand."</p><p>Shuichi was cut off when Hinata placed his other hand on Shuichi's other shoulder, his hands gentle on the boy's small frame.</p><p>"If that's what you want Shuichi, of course." Hajime said softly, letting go of Shuichi as he got back on his feet and motioned towards the bedroom.</p><p>Entering the room, he saw his other two guardians on the massive mattress that took a significant chunk of space in the large room. Komaeda laid on the left side of the mattress, already asleep as small snores could be heard from him. On the right, Nanami sat up in bed fully immersed in whatever game she was playing on her Nintendo Switch. Hinata walked over to his longtime girlfriend and kissed her forehead, breaking her focus away from her game.</p><p>"Hey Chiaki, we're going to have a visitor with us tonight." Hinata announced.</p><p>The mauve haired women perked her head before looking over at the embarrassed child, smiling warmly at her foster son.</p><p>"Oh, that's fine by me, I think" She said, shifting towards the edge of the bed as Hinata climbed in through the foot of the bed, laying next to Komaeda who instinctively cuddled up on his boyfriend. Deciding standing around wasn't the best option, Shuichi followed and climbed the large bed, laying between Hinata and Nanami. Shuichi gripped his stuffed animal as Hinata grabbed the covers and pulled them over everyone.</p><p>Now that Shuichi is here, he still found himself being as restless as ever even if the memory foam mattress was noticeably more comfortable than his own. He looked over at Hinata, who was now reading a book while Komaeda was curled up on him. He then turned to Nanami who went back to her game, faint music coming from whatever game she was playing catching his attention. He glanced over at the console and saw the girl was playing Pokémon Sword, something that even he could have guessed if he thought about it beforehand. Shuichi watched quietly as Nanami took out a poor trainer's whole team with just one of her own Pokémon, small excitement escaping Shuichi's lips as he cheered softly as Nanami reaped in the rewards for her swift victory. This caught Nanami's attention as she motioned to Shuichi to come closer, which he did with zero hesitation.</p><p>Shuichi cuddled up on the lone matriarch as he watched Nanami play her game, her arm around him in a loving embrace. Nanami always has the best hugs. Between the warmth and Nanami softly nuzzling him occasionally, Shuichi quickly found himself completely relaxed. A relaxation that made him feel particularly tired, and soon enough he entered the realm of sleep with ease in his heart.</p><p>As interesting as Fear &amp; Loathing in Las Vegas may be, the sound of the soft "hey hey" from his girlfriend caught Hajime's ears. He looked over and saw a now fast asleep Shuichi completely curled up on Chiaki, who had now turned off her game as she softly played with the boy's hair. The two adults' eyes met, and greeted each other with equally heart filled smiles.</p><p>Hajime felt at ease knowing Shuichi was adjusting to his situation faster than anticipated, knowing that every day his and his lovers' decision to take care of the child was proving more and more to be a good idea. Hajime chuckled to himself, looking down at a sleeping Nagito. He wondered if the luckster was sharing his talent even in sleep as the man just felt lucky right now. Lucky to share a moment with the three people in his life he loved more than anyone else. Lucky that he has found himself a happy if unconventional family. But it's a family everyone in the bed would never trade away.</p><p>"We made the right decision. " Hajime blurted out, happiness filling every inch of his body at the moment.</p><p>"I never thought we'd all adjust so easily, but here we are." Chiaki happily hummed. "I love him. I can't imagine a world without him now that he's here for good."</p><p>"You're speaking for all of us there."  Hajime agreed. "I can't believe I can call myself a father if I'm being honest." He mused as he ran his fingers through Shuichi's hair. "I wouldn't give it away for anything."</p><p> Hajime and Chiaki shared another smile before leaning in for a kiss. </p><p>"Good night everyone." Hajime called out to the occupants in the bed. "I love you all."</p><p>Chiaki grabbed Hajime's hand as Shuichi shifted more onto her chest, looking peaceful while doing so. Sleep quickly took over the remaining awake adults and before they knew it, all four people slept soundly and happily together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 7:30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Taking place more than a month before chapter one, read to discover what happened the day that Shuichi lost his father.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>7:30</p><p>Still no call or even a lousy text message.</p><p>A sigh heavily tinged in loneliness echoed throughout the lifeless apartment. Shuichi put his cell phone back in his pocket, trying to retain his attention back to the Sherlock Holmes novel in his lap. Shuichi was used to his father being late, but the patriarch had promised to be home by 5 pm today. Broken promises like this were all too common for the young boy, today being the third time this week alone that father has been late like this without warning. Shuichi tried not to get distraught over it however. He understood that being a sheriff was an important and difficult job to have. Perhaps his father had a lot of paperwork to do before he could leave? That was his most used excuse at least. Shuichi just wished father could keep his promises. If not that, at least have the decency to let his son know when he's running late.</p><p>Shuichi was prepared for what appeared to be another night by himself, getting up and making his way to the refrigerator in the small kitchen. Pulling a chair from the table over to reach the freezer on top, Shuichi was greeted by the frozen dinners and bottles of vodka that occupied the frozen space. He had stolen a sip of the alcohol once, curious as to why his father mixed this stuff with juice after work. That curiosity turned to disgust when the burning liquor’s taste caused him to spit it right back out on the floor. Shuichi shuddered at the memory and pointed his gaze back at the TV Dinners, the fried rice in particular catching the boy's eye. The boy wasn't a big fan of the cheap frozen food his father would buy on his weekly grocery trips, but there was only so much the younger Siahara could do to feed himself. It's not like the elder could cook for himself either. Shuichi moved the chair over by the microwave and began preparing his dinner when a sudden knock on the door took Shuichi by surprise. </p><p>“Father? No he wouldn't knock. He has his key.” Shuichi thought to himself once his nerves calmed down. Mr. Saihara had taught the boy to be quiet and pretend to not be home if he was home alone, something the boy complied with even if he didn't fully understand why. “Maybe it’s that funny Mr. Hagakure down the hall?” </p><p>Knock knock</p><p>Another knock on the door, this one a little louder. Panic began to creep on the boy, as irrational as it might be. “Maybe it’s robbers trying to break in?” The boy found himself thinking. “I should yell at them to go away, when they hear that someone is home that may scare them off? But that goes against what father sai-" </p><p>Knock Knock</p><p>More irrational panic came from the boy, as he found himself hiding behind the counters in the kitchen. “Oh what am I thinking, a kid like me couldn’t scare a rabbit if I wanted t-” The boys inner monologue was cut off by a familiar voice following the last knocking.</p><p>“Shuichi, it’s your Uncle Makoto and Aunt Kyoko. We need to talk to you buddy, are you there?”</p><p>That voice certainly belonged to Uncle Makoto, but why was he here? Why was his Aunt also here as well? Was his aunt even really there and was Makoto lying? The child brought the chair over to the door as quietly as he could, taking a look through the peephole and saw the two young adults at the other end of the door, just like Makoto said. Both of them looked visibly upset, causing immediate anxiety due to Kyoko’s usual stoic demeanor being forgotten. Her eyes and entire face were red like she was crying  recently. Makoto himself looked distraught, more nervous than sad though. Shuichi had no idea what could cause his aunt to get this upset, but he knew he couldn't ignore them and wait for his father to return home. He also couldn't ignore the rapid anxiety overtaking his young heart. The boy clumsily jumped off the chair, haphazardly pushing it aside as he hurriedly unlocked and opened the door for his Aunt and Uncle.</p><p>The door crept open, Shuichi half sticking his head out of the door as he made eye contact with his uncle. Standing in the hallway, Makoto and his nephew maintained an uncomfortable silence for what seemed like eternity before the man managed a friendly smile at Shuichi in an attempt to break the tension. </p><p>“Hey buddy, could we come in please?” Makoto sounded as happy as ever, but even the boy could tell he was forcing the emotion in his voice. “You’re not in any trouble, we just… have bad news.” That last sentence broke the man’s illusion, as unintentional as it be. Kyoko finally faced her nephew and forced a depressed smile at him. The normally stoic woman wore both fear and sadness despite her efforts to save face, a poor attempt to not worry her nephew. Seeing his aunt like this was very alarming to Shuichi, who’s rapid heartbeat began overtaking his hearing. He still stepped aside, letting the two adults into the apartment.</p><p>Shuichi made his way over to the couch where his Aunt sat next to him, while Makoto stood in front of the boy. The elders in the room looked at one another, until the woman took a deep breath.</p><p>“You’re a bright kid Shuichi, so I’m not going to beat around the bush with you.” The purple-haired woman spoke, meeting the nervous eyes of Shuichi. Kyoko lightly grabbed his hand, who gripped her own gloved hand tight in response.</p><p>“Your father was arrested earlier today. He was caught working with... bad people.” A tone of anger was apparent in Kyoko’s voice. “It’s too early to say for sure but it doesn’t look good for him, he’s likely looking at long term prison time.” The woman shifted her gaze away from the child as she spoke, feeling displaced shame at her half-brother's actions. “I’m sorry.” Kyoko brought her nephew into a hug, an action the boy would normally cherish but his body couldn’t move even if his brain told him to. </p><p>Shuichi was frozen. The sinking feeling in his chest turned into a storm of confusion and disbelief. Noise became muffled as he just sat on the couch, unable to look up at all. He didn’t know what to think. He wanted this to be a cruel joke by his family members but the solemn look on their faces and the fact Kyoko hadn’t let go of him yet told him otherwise. This couldn’t be real. Overwhelmed, Shuichi wiggled himself out of his aunt's embrace and jumped off the furniture.</p><p>“You’re lying!” the boy screamed at his Aunt, her face unchanged at the boy’s outburst. Shuichi didn’t even know what he was saying, his brain melting down into full on denial mode. </p><p>“Where’s my father?!” The boy demanded, tears already pouring down his face. He looked at Makoto, who looked both sympathetic if unsure how to handle the situation. The young man tried to reach out towards Shuichi but the boy turned around and ran into his room, slamming the door and locking behind him. The boy succumbed to the despair within the situation, his tears turning into confused weeps. He hears light knocking on the door, likely from his Aunt but he tunes out whatever words were wasted on him at the moment. The boy felt like he was in the midst of a nightmare at the moment, and he was ready to wake up at any second now. The child’s tears failed to let up, as all he could muster himself to do was sit on his floor and cry. In an act of what some would call mercy for the boy, these tears didn’t take long to tire the boy out, as he passed out not long before the door to his room was carefully forced open by his deeply concerned aunt.</p><p>----</p><p>The faint sound of an engine purring woke up the boy, discovering himself not in his room, but in the backseat of a car in a booster seat. He quickly realized that he was in his Uncle Makoto’s car, the young man driving slowly through dimly lit streets. Shuichi's covered up in his favorite blanket and holding his trusty stuffed tiger, one of the few gifts he ever received from his father. The boy groggily stared out the window, the street lamps and buildings outside blurring by.</p><p>“How are you feeling, sweetie?” The feminine voice of his Aunt Kyoko calls to him from the passenger seat in the front. There was a level of warmness in her voice that she only rarely expressed, not even to her own partner who was driving. Shuichi was almost unnerved by the emotion but he couldn’t deny his appreciation for it either.</p><p>“… Sad”. Shuichi meekly replied after a long pause. "How did I even get here?" </p><p>Kyoko closed her eyes and took a deep breath, keeping her uncharacteristic gentleness. She understood her nephew not being able to recall what lead to him being driven back home with them.</p><p>“You fell asleep in your room after your outburst. We packed up some clothes for you and we’re taking you back home with us for now.” Kyoko explained. Shuichi had a million questions right now. </p><p>How did she get in his room? Well, the lock on the door was simple and even he had figured out how to unlock it with anything strong and small enough. No doubt someone smart like his detective aunt would know how to unlock the door.<br/>
When will he see his father again? He wanted to ask his aunt again but his gut was telling him it would be pointless, a thought that upset the child but he forced himself to move along.<br/>
How long am I going to be staying with them? His aunt didn’t clarify that exactly, perhaps she didn’t know herself. </p><p>“How long am I going to be staying with you, Auntie?” the child asked. Kyoko’s face dropped.</p><p>“I don’t know. It might be awhile.” </p><p>Shuichi wanted to cry again, but the tears wouldn’t fall this time. All that came out was a defeated sigh as he turned his gaze back out the window. </p><p>“I don’t know what’s going to happen next.” Kyoko admitted “But what I can promise you is that you are going to be okay. Me and your uncle love you. We aren’t going to let anything bad happen to you.” Shuichi didn’t look back, his eyes glued to the window but a small smile did break through. He couldn’t see the almost sickening amount of stress that was weighing Kyoko down. The stress of her half-brother being a dirty cop and potentially tainting the Kirigiri name by association. The stress of not knowing what to actually do with her nephew was the most overwhelming though.</p><p>The car fell silent and stayed that way for five minutes that felt eternal for everybody in the sedan. Makoto turned the radio on to break the silence, settling on a top 40 station much to Kyoko's chagrin. Shuichi was still trying to process everything that was going on, grasping his stuffed animal in a near death grip. What was going to happen to his home? Was he even going to go back? His thoughts quickly shifted to his books back home, sure he had already read most of the interesting ones already but what about his unfinished novels! A small tragedy when compared to the rest of his new situation, but a tragedy nonetheless. </p><p>As Shuichi was pondering about the rest of The Hound of Baskervilles, he noticed the car was pulling into a familiar golden arched drive-through. Shuichi remembered the fried rice he was preparing before being interrupted. He felt bad for wasting food, something his father pushed on him to not do. He wondered if his aunt also cleaned that up before they left. Makoto looked back at his nephew, his usual cheerful demeanor out in full force. “Feel free to get anything you want Shuichi” The heavy emphasis on “anything” was not missed by the child, who took advantage of the offer in the form of those tasty apple pies with his favorite chicken nuggets. If anything else, the fast food provided a much needed if unhealthy distraction from the surreality the past few hours have been. </p><p>After receiving their food, the sedan continued further into town. After an uneventful five minutes of driving, the smell of the food became more and more tantalizing to the child, Makoto pulled into the parking lot outside the apartment complex where he and Kyoko lived. Kyoko helped Shuichi out of the car seat as Makoto grabbed a small silver duffel bag out from the trunk, the one belonging to the child. Kyoko held her nephew’s hand again, leading the boy slowly to their humble apartment as they entered the modern lobby of their building and went up the elevator.</p><p> The claustrophobic box moved at what seemed like a glacier pace to the twelfth floor, no one daring to break the silence as both adults checked their phones as Shuichi glanced back and forth at his aunt and uncle. The opening of the doors and the subsequent ding announced that the three were at their destination. It was only another thirty feet or so before Kyoko found the door to hers and Makoto’s apartment, a cozy and sleek one bedroom with a grand view of the city and riverfront from their floor. Shuichi had been here a few times before, most times with his father while they visited. Once the door was opened, Shuichi wasted no time in claiming a spot on the couch with his dinner. Makoto turned on the TV to one of his streaming apps, handing the boy the remote as he playfully ruffled the younger male’s head. “Feel free to watch anything you want Shuichi” Makoto paused. “As long as it’s appropriate.” The blue haired child nodded in agreement as he shoved another chicken nugget into his mouth, flipping through the different animated shows at his disposal. He normally didn’t watch much television, but Shuichi was frankly too tired to really care as he yearned for a well deserved mental break as he wrapped himself up in his trusty blanket, pushing back the pressing question of if this couch was where we was going to be his bed for the foreseeable future. </p><p>The distraction Makoto gave to his nephew worked as Shuichi didn’t notice his aunt go straight for her bedroom, closing the door behind her so as not to worry the boy as she finally broke down from the weight of the day. Makoto turns and follows his fiancé into the bedroom once Shuichi was fully enveloped on what was happening on screen. The short man was shocked to his lover face down on their bed, muffled cries barely escaping from the pillow. The man sits down gently beside her, placing a comforting hand on her head. The silver-haired woman looks up with tear stained eyes, a sight Makoto can’t recall seeing before. Kyoko herself can’t even remember the last time she cried, high school perhaps? Makoto keeps strong as he gives Kyoko a soft smile. </p><p>“You’re not weak for crying, Kyoko” Makoto says with equal softness to his expression. “This situation is unthinkable. I won’t pretend that this will just blow over but we’ll make it through it together. You’ll still be able to talk to your brother at least” Kyoko smiled briefly before her face fell again. </p><p>“What are we going to do with Shuichi though?” </p><p>Makoto paused, not sure what to say if he was being honest. He didn’t mind the thought of just having him stay with them, but their lease kept them in their one bedroom for another year. That’d be a long time for a kid to have to sleep on a couch in a living room.<br/>
“… We’ll figure that out.” The woman won’t deny that her fiancé’s answer wasn’t very comforting, her scowl making that thought more than clear enough. </p><p>Makoto flinched, but wasn’t going to give up. “Neither of us have the capacity to find a solution right now, so it may be best if we try to sleep on it tonight and come back to this in the morning.” Makoto got up and kissed Kyoko on the forehead, the woman blushing at the affection. “Let’s eat and try to take our minds off today, we both need it.” </p><p>Kyoko got off of the bed, giving Makoto a small kiss of her own. “You’re right, a mental recharge may just be what we need right now. I’m sorry I lost my composure.” Kyoko looked down in unnecessary embarrassment.</p><p>Makoto flashed his usual dopey smile, “You’re more than justified honey, there’s no need for you to apologize, okay?”</p><p>The silver haired woman didn’t vocalize a response, only embracing her fiancé as he rubbed her back in small circles. The couple stood in place for a solid minute before letting go, opting to return back to the living room to check on their nephew. What they returned to was a pleasant surprise, the meek child curled up in his blanket fast asleep on the couch, fast food wrappers scattered all around the coffee table without a care in the world. While Kyoko could do without the mess, the sight of her normally anxious nephew peacefully sleeping did tug at her heart. </p><p>The woman knelt down and gave the boy a small kiss on the forehead, stirring the boy in his sleep slightly but welcomed the affection as he kept snoozing away. It was then and there where Kyoko promised herself she’ll do whatever she can to make sure this child is safe and in good care, even if that may not come from her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I hope this further clarifies Shuichi's overall situation more, but this won't be the last story focusing on it either.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. It's All Fun and Games...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shuichi meets his potential guardians over lunch and video games at the local arcade.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The combined sounds of the loud game cabinets that surrounded Shuichi were beginning to overwhelm the boy’s senses. Shuichi hadn't expected the instant overstimulation as he stepped into the arcade for the first time, his hand gripping the women he entered with tighter. The games were singing a siren’s wail in an attempt to get any hopeful player’s attention and money, their songs meshing together into one large dissonant wall of sound. The boy didn’t know which game to even start at, watching curiously as Chiaki Nanami bought tokens from the cashier, their friendly conversation about the new Resident Evil game suggesting familiarity with one another. Shuichi was surprised when Nanami offered to take him here, but thankful that he could escape the anxiety-inducing lunch at the café across the street they were just at. The same café his aunt and the woman’s two boyfriends were still discussing if Shuichi would be staying with these strangers. Already the three adults had been nothing but kind and gentle with Shuichi, but those were the type of strangers his father had warned him about, to not be so quick to trust anyone in this scary world. Given the fact his father was currently sitting in a prison cell Shuichi decided now might be a good time to not follow his advice word for word, even if only a little bit.</p><p>The blue haired boy’s grip on Nanami’s soft hand stayed firm as she finished her transaction, his eyes meeting the woman’s as she looked down at him with her kind and sleepy eyes.</p><p>“Since this is your first time at an arcade, I want you to have the first pick of what we play.” Nanami suggested to Shuichi, his eyes widening with shock as he was given unexpected if inconsequential responsibility.</p><p>“I've played every game here, so don’t feel pressured about what to pick okay? Just go with whatever catches your eye first.” Shuichi eased up ever so slightly, his grip loosening on her hand as he took a solid look around him. Among the sea of joysticks and buttons the sight of a plastic motorcycle stuck out to the young, inexperienced gamer. It stuck out so much that it turned into the first game Shuichi wanted to try. The boy wordlessly pointed over towards the racing game section, over to the motocross racing game that captured his interest. The woman looked over to which game Shuichi picked and smiled, impressed at the boy's choice.</p><p>“You want to try the motorcycle game first, kiddo?” Shuichi confirmed by nodding his head, Nanami unable to help herself as she laughed playfully before guiding the boy over to his choice. </p><p>Nanami assisted the small boy with getting on the ride-able controller while he watched the demonstration on the screen, the high speed and seamless driving from the computer amazing the child. </p><p>“Best advice I have is just try to balance yourself towards the middle of the screen” Nanami explained to the child as she positioned herself on the other cycle, handing the child four tokens for him to start his game. </p><p>“And just focus on having fun!” She was being careful in not overwhelming the child, letting him ease into this new experience. Shuichi picked his avatar after he put the tokens in the machine, the woman’s words echoing back in his mind as he readied himself onto the bike, his small limbs trying to emulate the stance Nanami took on hers. </p><p>Suddenly, Shuichi found the screen counting down from 3, the virtual racers revving up as they readied themselves to race. Shuichi looked over at Nanami and noticed she was laser focused on her screen, her hands shifting the handlebars as the numbers decreased in value while the fictional crowd erupted in cheers. It was the sound of a hyper enthusiastic “GO!” from the game that snapped Shuichi back to his screen, twisting the handlebars like Nanami as his racer quickly sped away. He was taking the pro gamers' advice to heart as he focused on keeping himself steady rather than trying to  win. Another glance over at Nanami’s screen revealed she already had secured first place and was widening her gap from the rest of the pack. That was more than enough for Shuichi to figure out catching up to her would be unlikely at best. The track suddenly began to twist and turn wildly, catching the boy by surprise as he drifted away from the corners by only a hair, keeping his focus on balance to heart. </p><p>Lap one turned into lap two, with Shuichi standing comfortably in 3rd place while Nanami sped along with her firm lead. That didn’t matter to the boy right now, as he let himself get fully invested in the game and found himself having fun. The tight corners that littered the track became familiar to the boy as he got in front of the last of the AI opponents, finding himself in second place behind the experienced woman to his left. Shuichi was more than content with the virtual silver medal, finding this game to be a lot easier than he thought it would be. The final lap was uneventful as the two players kept their positioning and distance from one another, Nanami inevitably finishing in first as Shuichi held on to second place. </p><p>Shuichi stared at the screen as his virtual racer clapped along as Nanami’s took a victory lap, the woman reaching over to playfully rustle the boy's blue hair. The gesture caught Shuichi off guard, who impulsively jumped as the hand moved through his hair. Shuichi wasn't used to positive affirmation like that but he quickly calmed down as Nanami withdrew her hand.</p><p>“Good job Shuichi!” Nanami proudly praised, “Are you sure this is your first time playing this?” She coyly asked. </p><p>Shuichi sheepishly looked away, a small grin resting on his face. “I just followed what you said to do.” He admitted. “You were awesome though! You’re like a professional racer!” Shuichi was quick to praise his caretaker, excitement overflowing from the boy in that moment. Nanami laughed, finding his behavior cute. </p><p>“Thank you kiddo.” She responded, “Racing games are pretty easy once you understand the handling and map dynamics.” All Shuichi could do was nod his head and pretend he understood anything she just said. Nanami hopped off the motorcycle and extended her hand to help Shuichi off his. </p><p>“Want to try a fighting game?” She offered, a small mischievous smile creeping on her face. Shuichi enthusiastically agreed to the idea despite finding the woman's mischievous look to be rather suspicious. </p><p>Nanami guided the child over to a more traditional looking arcade cabinet, another two player game with two different joysticks with six buttons next to each stick. The sides of the machine were decorated with several people of whom Shuichi guessed were playable characters, all looking serious and ready to hurt someone. Shuichi couldn’t help but stare at the character that was staring back at him, the man's silver hair and emotionless scowl reminding the child of his Auntie Kyoko, a thought that made the boy giggle to himself. The game was called “Tekken”, which Shuichi was pretty sure was not a real word. Nanami placed more tokens into the cabinet while Shuichi found a step stool to help him actually reach the buttons. The character select screen showcased many different playable characters, a near overwhelming amount for the small child. He glanced at Nanami's side of the screen as she instantly selected a girl with pink hair and what looks like mechanical wings. </p><p>“Fighting games are weird” Shuichi thought to himself as he flipped around to pick a character. He recognized the man that reminded him of his aunt, named “Lee” and decided he would try him out. </p><p>Shuichi got nervous as the round was about to start, he couldn’t help but notice how zeroed in Nanami looked again, her eyes not even blinking as she practiced different movements and button combinations as the game loaded. </p><p>““Uh'' Shuichi reluctantly spoke up. “May the best fighter win?” And with that, the announcer started the fight and the battle began. It was at this moment that Shuichi realized that he had just wandered blindly into the lion's den without a plan. As soon as Nanami’s first attack landed the young novice stood no chance, getting combo-ed into a dominating loss by the gamer who clearly has played this game before. It was over in a flash, the last attack being replayed as the round was called, a perfect victory by the hands of Chiaki Nanami. She triumphantly looked over at Shuichi, who just stared bug eyed at the screen as he tried to figure out his next plan of action.</p><p>“S-sorry about that, I should have let you learn this game a little bit first.” Nanami apologized, embarrassment seeping out of her. She cursed her inner competitive streak, but was relieved to see the boy finally look back up at her and weakly smile. </p><p>“It’s okay!” Shuichi was quick to assure her. “I just need five minutes, tops!” </p><p>She appreciated the boy's continued enthusiasm even after getting destroyed like that. “Okay, let me show you some moves your character can do then we can try again.”</p><p> “I-I won't let you down!”</p><p>—</p><p>Even after being shown all of Lee’s special attacks, Shuichi stood no chance against the veteran Tekken player. Match after match were spent the same way, getting no real opportunity to actually fight back as Nanami kept her pressure on suffocation mode. To the boys credit, there was one round where he managed to chip away half of her health but that proved to be a fluke. Nonetheless, the gamer was showing elite sportsmanship and giving the boy pointers as they played. Disregarding the fact that all of her talk about mechanics and hit boxes went in through one ear and out the other to Shuichi.</p><p>He appreciated the attention if he was being honest, and was glad to be able to just forget about his mountain of problems right now. Speaking of which, he wondered how the conversation between his aunt and those two men back at the cafe was going. Their names were Hinata and Komaeda and their collective kindness did not go unnoticed. However the amount of unknowns about them still made Shuichi uneasy. All he really knew about the two were the fact they were both dating Nanami.</p><p>His aunt had partially revealed this fact to him earlier this morning, when she first revealed her plan to provide the boy with a reliable place to live. </p><p>“Hinata is in what is called a polyamorous relationship.” Kyoko calmly explained to him over breakfast his morning. “Hinata is in love with Nanami and Komaeda, as they are in love with him.” Kyoko described the relationship with a triangle metaphor, how all three points were happily connected. None of this bothered the boy, even if he had never heard of three people dating harmoniously like that before. The child looked over at the gamer, who had moved on to a new game where a spaceship was avoiding getting hit by hundreds of bullets at once. The projectiles covered the screen with minuscule room for error but as expected, Nanami was effortlessly dodging anything the game threw at her. Shuichi didn’t know if right would be the best time to talk to her but his natural curiosity took over the boy as he mustered the courage to speak up. </p><p>“What’s it like being with two people?” Shuichi bluntly asked.  Nanami looked back at him, flashing an assuring smiling before turning her attention back at the game. </p><p>“It’s both the hardest and best thing to happen to me.” Her answer was equally as blunt, but it did not lack any sweetness. “Dating one person can be exhausting, even if it’s someone you love dearly. I just so happened to find two people I love, two men who understand me as well I understand them both, I think.” Nanami had a look of reminiscence on her face now, distracting her enough to die in her game. Shuichi was intrigued now, even if her answer was more boring than he expected. He only had more questions now as the woman inserted a few more tokens to try her game again.</p><p>“Do the three of you go out on dates and stuff together?” </p><p>“As a matter of fact, we do.” Several romantic memories played out in Chiaki's head, every second spent with Hajime and Nagito feeling like a pleasant dream. A happy sigh broke out of the woman's lungs as she once again died in her game, the gamer too busy reminiscing about the triads first romantic dinner together eight years ago to truly care. Chiaki looked back at Shuichi and could tell by the expectant look on his face that he wanted to hear more. She smiled sweetly as she gestured towards the considerably quieter snack bar, empty tables sprawled out in the separate room. Shuichi clung to her hand as the two walked to take a break. </p><p>As Shuichi adjusted himself on the plastic seat the lack of noise compared to the rest of the arcade was welcome to his overstimulated self. Shuichi took a mental note of how thinking about her boyfriends made Nanami lose her focus on her video game, something Shuichi thought to try to use against her the next time he played against her in Tekken. What stuck out the most about the woman’s smile is that Shuichi knew he’d seen such a look before. His uncle Makoto smiles the same way whenever he sees his auntie. He sees this smile when Kyoko is resting her head on Makoto's lap as they both read separate books as he caresses her softly while they're sprawled out on their couch. He sees this smile really any time Kyoko enters any room Makoto happens to be in, often on the face of his good natured uncle but Shuichi has seen such a loving smile worn by Kyoko as well. Being the boy’s only real reference of what love looks like, the similarities he’d seen between his aunt and uncle and Nanami with her boyfriends gave the boy a good idea on how much the sleepy woman must love them. Shuichi couldn’t find the words as to why exactly but that thought relaxed him.</p><p>“What’s on your mind Shuichi?” Nanami perked, the boy having not said a word as he was deep in thought. He quickly remembered where he was, flashing embarrassment at his lack of manners much to Nanami’s amusement.</p><p>“The way you talk about your boyfriends reminds me of how my aunt and uncle talk about each other.” Shuichi admitted, furthering his personal embarrassment. "They must make you happy." </p><p>The audible “awwww” that came out of Nanami after hearing such a thing didn’t do anything to subside Shuichi's blush. </p><p>“You’re right though, they both make me feel like the happiest woman in the world.” </p><p>“What are they like?” He still didn’t actually know anything about the men, but he already found himself trusting them more.  </p><p>“Well, they’re both incredibly smart for starters. Hinata can be a grouch but he’s honest and he has a really big heart when he’s able to show it. Komaeda is super laid back and can be just as sweet, if not sweeter. He has his eccentric moments but I wouldn’t want him any other way.”</p><p>“Eccentric?” The boy barely understood what the word meant in the first place, but could tell Nanami was being intentionally vague. </p><p>Nanami briefly paused before continuing. “He’s a very hopeful person." The emphasis on "hopeful" sparked more intrigue in Shuichi. “He’s very well meaning though, granted we’ve known each other since we were about your age actually.” </p><p>“Wow that must have been ages ago then.” </p><p>“Hey I’m not even thirty yet!” Nanami pouted before laughing softly, finding it impossible to be actually mad at the boy. </p><p>“Oh… Sorry” Shuichi looked down at the ground in shame, before Nanami placed a reassuring hand over his. </p><p>“I’m not offended kiddo,” She assured, “So tell me more about yourself Shuichi. What do you do for fun?”</p><p>—</p><p>“There you guys are!” A cheerful voice rang out, the voice belonging to Nagito Komaeda, behind him his boyfriend Hajime Hinata followed by Kyoko Kirigiri, who looked a lot more calm than she has the past three days. Komaeda kissed Nanami who happily reciprocated before taking a seat next to her as Kyoko sat down next to her nephew, who didn't hesitate in wrapping his aunt in a hug. Hinata took a seat next to Nanami, giving the gamer a kiss of his own. </p><p>“How are you doing, Shuichi?” Hinata asked the child, meeting eyes across the table.</p><p>“I’m doing okay I think, I was just talking about Sherlock Holmes with Nanami!” </p><p>Nanami smiled warmly, Shuichi's ten minute tangent on how the famous detective solved what may be his hardest case being nothing short of adorable. Talking about the sleuth was a lot more preferable to the child, as his attempts to dissect his feelings towards his father and being in between homes nearly brought Shuichi to tears. Nanami had been there to comfort him as best as she could, his cries subsiding once he had been brought into a great big hug before turning the conversation back towards his special interests. Nanami made note to introduce him to a certain courtroom drama game series once she could show him her game collection at home. </p><p>“So we think we have an arrangement everyone is comfortable with.” Komaeda excitedly announced, smiling over at the boy who smiled back. </p><p>Kyoko nodded her head before turning to her nephew. “We’ve agreed that the best way to acclimate you is if you start staying with Hinata, Komaeda, and Nanami at their house during the day. Come evening either me or your uncle will be over and stay the night with you. This of course until you have a proper room or if you decide this isn’t right for you.”</p><p>Shuichi was openly puzzled as he took in his aunts words, something all four adults picked up on. </p><p>“Think of it like a sleepover with your aunt at our house until you’re sure you’re comfortable.” Hinata clarified. “And during the day you can hang out with us.”</p><p>Shuichi couldn’t deny his surprise at the proposition. The boy did understand the situation he was in, how he couldn’t just stay at his apartment by himself while his dad is in jail. He understood that his only other family were workaholics that were not in a situation where they could take in a child either. Even understanding his technical homelessness he didn’t expect to find someone to take him in this soon. Shuichi wondered if his aunt even expected the suddenness of this either. Shuichi looked over at the triad across from him. He sees how completely different they are from one another, yet now that the three are reunited he picked up a lot of small things, such as how Komaeda played with Nanami's hair or how Hinata held the woman's other free hand, the gamer absentmindedly running circles on the back of the tanner mans knuckles. Shuichi saw comfort and undeniable love between these three people.</p><p>Shuichi already decided he can trust Nanami, and he knew that his calculated aunt trusted all three adults before him. The fact that his aunt was going to be staying with him at night helped a lot too, Shuichi being thankful he had an out in the event of any worse case scenario that could be thrown his way. He had a gut feeling things couldn’t get any worse than the mess he was currently in anyway. The normally cautious Shuichi was willing to step into this unknown.</p><p>“Sounds good to me!” He exclaimed, Kyoko making no effort to suppress her sigh of relief next to him. The triad each shared equal visual relief, Komaeda being more surprised than anything else however. </p><p>“You don’t need to jump into a decision this quickly.” Komaeda reminded Shuichi, “This is a lot to take in, I’m just saying if you need more time to really think about it it’s okay-” </p><p>“If Auntie Kyoko trusts you then I trust you.” Shuichi cut off the ghostly thin man, understanding his concerns with jumping into an answer. Overjoyed, Kyoko brought her nephew into a loving hug.</p><p>“Are you sure sweetie?” Kyoko whispered. </p><p>“Yes." He simply whispered back before receiving a kiss on his tiny forehead. He couldn't remember the last time his aunt had been this affectionate towards him, Shuichi enjoying every second of it. </p><p>“Why don’t you bring him over on Tuesday?” Hinata suggested, himself wrapped around his lovers.</p><p>“Tuesday sounds perfect.” Kyoko warmly responded, “What about you, Shuichi?” </p><p>Shuichi flashed a hopeful smile, already making peace with the breakneck speed of the situation seeing as it was already Sunday. “I’d like that”</p><p>Across from the boy, Komaeda’s eyes wandered from outside the snack bar towards the claw machines that stood right by the doorway. An idea popped into his head as he stood up from the table. </p><p>“Hey Shuichi, want to see something cool?” Komaeda offers. The mere concept of a surprise sounding rather enticing to the child. Shuichi looked back at his aunt who gave him an assuring look as she let go of him, Shuichi getting up and following the lanky man over to the claw machine.</p><p>Komaeda pulled a coin out from his coat pocket and inserted it into the claw machine. “I doubt anyone has told you, but I have a particular… gift of luck.” Now this Shuichi had to see. “It cycles from good and bad luck, but as sure as the sunrise I’m due to experience otherwise unexplainable luck. It’s been like this since I was a kid honestly. Let me give you an example.” Shuichi still didn’t know where he was going with this, but was eager to see what was going to happen.</p><p>“Pick any toy you want.” Komaeda suggested, Shuichi shuffling over as a rather cute looking black cat stuffed animal caught his attention before pointing it out to Komaeda. The man hummed approvingly to himself before positioning the claw on top of the stuffed cat. Komaeda dramatically pressed the big red button and as the claw dropped down and snagged down, not only was the black cat grabbed but the white bunny right next to it was captured by it’s large white ear. Shuichi watched in awe as the two stuffed animals dropped to the corner and Komaeda picked them up from the slot, Shuichi gained an understanding on what Komaeda was talking about with his luck as he eagerly took both stuffed animals.</p><p>“Wowwwwwwww” Shuichi cooed, “That was awesome! Thank you!” </p><p>“You are very welcome, Shuichi.” Komaeda couldn’t ignore the stress building inside him as he worried about the potential of his luck harming the boy that looked at him with amazement. He took a deep breath to suppress those thoughts, reminding himself that his luck cycle has actually never directly impacted anybody else but him as his coping mechanism worked like a charm.</p><p>As Shuichi held his new stuffed animals his mind raced to what was going to happen next. Shuichi knew there was a chance that everything could go wrong, that these people weren’t nearly as nice as they appeared. As fun as today has been for the boy, he couldn’t forget that he was still in the middle of weathering the worst storm he’d seen so far in his life. The waves of uncertainty and fear crashing into him at full force. Shuichi knew he had a life jacket within reach with his Aunt however, and the boy couldn’t help but feel that these three kind adults were going to help him get out of the turbulent weather all together. Shuichi felt like smooth sailing was waiting for him in the near future, the calm wind in his sail coming in the form of Nanami, Komaeda, and Hinata.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Needless to say I think the triad made a very good first impression on young Shuichi. I hope you enjoyed reading and I wish you all a very happy day. Thank you all for the support so far and I hope to have the next chapter out sooner rather than later. Until then, take care~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Breakfast at Nagito's</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shuichi wakes up early and finds himself having breakfast with Komaeda.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Expect plenty of sunshine and consistent high temperatures in the 80’s for the rest of the week over the entire region. Back over to you, Ken."</p><p>Shuichi glanced outside the living room window past the television, the cloudy skies above only furthering his inability to trust anything he saw on news. Every channel was the same. The way all the newscasters maintained the same manufactured, cookie-cutter appearance. The emotionless and insincere persona's the anchors and reporters wore were all the same. The daily talk on some earth shattering political scandal or death counts from seemingly avoidable tragedy all managed to become one blob of misery for all to hear. </p><p>He hated that his family name was on the tongues of these zombies. He hated how quick the news people were to brand his father a “disgrace” and slander his name through the mud when his crime was repeated for the masses. He knew enough to know his father made a grave mistake. Even if it is deserved, hearing strangers insult the man who brought him into this world hurt. Shuichi closed his eyes and took three deep breaths, just like Auntie Kyoko showed him. Every inhale he felt his raw anger and confusion rise to the tips of his lungs, every exhale those same emotions would blow right out of him leaving only mental scar tissue and a deflated chest. </p><p>As the last of the excess air escaped his small lungs, Shuichi opened his eyes and searched for the remote controller. He already had enough of the news for one day. After a harrowing ten seconds of looking around the minimalistic room he found the remote resting on the arm rest on the other end of the sectional couch he called his bed. Shuichi huffed, annoyed that his auntie left the TV on before leaving for the day. Half asleep then, he did recall her leaving in a hurry. He pretended to be asleep when she planted a small kiss on his forehead, mustering up all his self control to stay silent as she promised him that she’ll be back later tonight with his Uncle Makoto. Not that Shuichi fully believed her, his father breaking similar promises to him too many times now. </p><p>It was maybe two minutes after the front door closed behind Kyoko before Shuichi was able to keep his eyes open, mindlessly watching the news report for the last half hour or so. Despite knowing that hearing his father being brought up would only upset him worse, he still wanted to know what happened thanks to every adult around him keeping mum about details. Perhaps none of them had any even worth sharing with him, but it’s been two weeks since his father was arrested and he had his doubts about there being no information. The only information Shuichi got was from the occasional news report, words he refused to believe. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately) for Shuichi his father’s legal issues have not been as much as hinted during the broadcast this morning, as has been the case for the past three days now. He didn’t know if he was thankful for the lack of news about his father or not, but Shuichi was already sick of thinking about it for now. </p><p>Shuichi stretched his back, yawning deeply before he crawled to the other end of the couch to finally grab the remote. He tried to remember the process to switch to Netflix, staring intently at the mass amount of buttons on the remote trying to force the memory of how Nanami-chan showed him a couple of days ago. As her calming voice repeated in the back of his mind Shuichi gently pressed the Input button the top left, the television going black before changing to a menu of different media apps. Shuichi felt triumphant as he easily selected the Netflix app and logged onto Hinata’s account, knowing he already had his permission to use it. </p><p>Now came the hard part in actually finding something to watch, Shuichi scrolling down to the animation section to find something he could watch without using his brain. It was far too early to actually use it anyway. </p><p>As he scrolled through the plethora of shows with increasing aimlessness, the sudden creaking of a door opening from upstairs startled the boy a lot more than it should have. Slow, dragging footsteps creped from the master bedroom Hinata, Nanami, and Komaeda all shared on the upstairs hallway, down to the winding staircase. Shuichi glanced back behind him, Komaeda coming down the stairs in nothing but a white tank top and black mesh shorts entering his field of vision. His outfit only exemplified his pale skin and wiry frame, his white hair tangled in a mess that was not unlike how he wore it even after he showered. Komaeda reminded Shuichi of a ghost, a friendly one from those old cartoons. As Komadea reached the bottom of the steps he made eye contact with Shuichi, who looked away from his guardian as Komaeda shot him a friendly smile. </p><p>“Good morning Shuichi.” He greeted as he walked towards the couch and leaned on the large piece of furniture. “Did you sleep well last night?”</p><p>“Yeah, I slept okay.” Shuichi responded, his lethargic body telling a different story but he didn’t want to spark worry in Komaeda. Nagito studied the boy for a minute, the bags under Shuichi’s eyes not matching his claims of good sleep. The last thing Nagito wanted to do was push Shuichi at all, but if there was anything he could do to help he was willing to do it. </p><p>“If you say so buddy. If you start having any issues sleeping we can see if the futon in Chiaki’s den would be better.” Komaeda suggested after a small pause. “I’ve slept on it plenty of times before, I’d even say it’s better than this old sofa here.” He slapped the back of the couch as he spoke, turning his attention back at Shuichi who was still trying to find a show to watch. </p><p>“M-maybe once Auntie stops spending the night with me.” Shuichi murmured. “I don’t like sleeping alone.” He added slowly. Komaeda smiled understandably at him, Shuichi finally looking back at him and offering a weak smile back. </p><p>“We can talk to Nanami later today about it. Regardless once we get to the point where you’re certain you’re staying we’ll be able to move you into a proper room. Then you’ll have a bed to sleep on again and you won’t have to worry about which sofa to sleep on.” Komaeda threw all this out in a very manner of fact way, the talks of not “if '' but “when” being a detail Shuichi did not ignore. Just the mere prospect of having a bed again was a worthwhile light at the end of the tunnel for Shuichi after the past two weeks. </p><p>Komaeda clapped his hands together, his energy slowly returning to him as he moved around. “You want breakfast?” He offered, quick to move on from the conversation. As if on cue, Shuichi’s stomach rumbled, his brain quickly begging for him to feed himself. </p><p>“Breakfast sounds good.” Shuichi sheepishly replied, abandoning his plan of watching cartoons for the moment as he slowly jumped off the couch to follow Komaeda to the kitchen. </p><p>——</p><p>Shuichi perched himself onto a stool by the kitchen island. The walls and tile were white and spotless. All the appliances scattered around were of stainless steel and all looked to have been installed rather recently. Shuichi could tell that the kitchen was renovated, matching the rest of the sizable house around him. He watched intently as Komaeda removed bowls from one of the top cabinets and a knife and whisk out from a nearby drawer, making mental notes of their locations for future use. </p><p>Komaeda went over to the fridge and took out a carton of eggs before making his way to the pantry and took out a loaf of whole wheat bread. Was he making toast? A thought that further confused the boy as Komaeda grabbed vanilla extract and confectioners sugar.</p><p>“What are you making?” Shuichi asked, no longer able to tell what was going on as Komaeda grabbed a rather large pan from a lower cabinet. </p><p>“French Toast!” Komaeda sounded excited as he revealed his meal plans, hoping to be met with enthusiasm. Instead he was met with another puzzled look from Shuichi.</p><p>“Have you ever had it before?” Komaeda made no effort in masking his surprise as he asked. “I have an old family recipe Chiaki loves that I’m in the mood for.”</p><p>“I uh… No I haven’t.” Shuichi admitted. His father was not a cook by any means, and rarely was around in the mornings to take him out to breakfast. Shuichi was more than happy to fill himself a bowl of sugary cereal most mornings, but had no complaints in trying something new. He knew enough of the dish to know it was sort of like pancakes or waffles. </p><p>“Oh? Well since it’s your first time trying it I’ll make them extra special for you then.” Komaeda exclaimed, a twang of excitement settling in himself as he cracked eggs in a bowl. It was on him to make a good first impression with his cooking now. Deep down he couldn’t help but feel that something will go wrong and ruin the dish and the start to both of their days. Komaeda pushed those thoughts out as best as he could, concluding it would be better to try and fail rather than give up now. If his inadequate skills got in the way so be it. </p><p>Shuichi stayed silent as he intently watched Komaeda mix the now beaten eggs with milk, vanilla, and multiple spices grabbed from a cabinet next to the fridge. As the pieces of bread were placed into the mixture and placed on the now sizzling pan the pleasant scent of the cooking toast made Shuichi’s mouth water further. The aroma reminded him of pancakes but even sweeter. Komaeda hadn’t said a word, his focus going completely into his cooking. Shuichi was transfixed on the process of making this breakfast to even dare speak up.</p><p>After roughly ten minutes of watching bread be dipped and cooked, Komaeda had four plates of French toast ready. He drizzled a light coating of the confectioners sugar onto the toast before running over to the spice cabinet and grabbed a bottle of expensive looking maple syrup, giving each plate a generous amount of the sticky and sweet syrup. He grabbed some strawberries from the fridge and garnished each plate before taking a step back to admire his work. </p><p>“Now I wouldn’t dare call myself something as prestigious as an ultimate chef” Komaeda remarked as he covered up two plates of French toast and placed them in the fridge. “But I’ve been practicing my cooking a lot more lately and I think I’ve gotten pretty adequate at it.” He didn’t fully believe his own words but he had to force confidence on himself. If not for himself, for Shuichi. </p><p>As Shuichi fully took in Komaedas’ self deprecated words at his own cooking skills, he stared down at the plate presented to him and thought the man was being modest. While French Toast is nowhere near a complex dish it certainly passed the eye test. The bread was cooked to a near perfect golden brown. The syrup soaked into the bread as the light coating of powdered sugar and cut strawberries at the edge of the plate made it look as if it was ordered at a fancy cafe. Just looking at the dish made Shuichi drool with anticipation. </p><p>“Wooooooow” Shuichi mouthed, his eyes devouring the toast before he remembered his manners.</p><p>“T-thank you, Komaeda.” Shuichi politely thanked. </p><p>“The honor is all mine, I just hope you like my mother’s recipe.” Komaeda remarked, trying his hardest to wave off any credit. </p><p>Shuichi wasted no time in digging in, cutting off a corner of the bread and chewing slowly, savoring each of the flavors from the vanilla infused bread to the sweetness of the powdered sugar. Komaeda really went all out on the dish Shuichi thought to himself, finding it to taste better than it looked. While sweet, it wasn’t overwhelming even with the liberal amount of syrup drizzled on top. </p><p>Komaeda felt an inkling of pride as he watched Shuichi eat, taking it as his cue to eat his portion. He took a small bite, humming in satisfaction as he captured the same taste his mother perfected back in his childhood. </p><p>“Okay I take that back, I did good.” Komaeda admitted to a rare moment of pride for him.</p><p>—</p><p>“You said this was your mothers recipe, right?” Shuichi asked, having been too distracted eating to even attempt to ask sooner. He wiped syrup off his mouth and placed the napkin onto the now empty plate in front of him. </p><p>“My mother used to make French Toast like this all the time when I was a kid.” Komaeda recollected. “She loved sweets, and always went all out on her pancakes too. Chocolate, whipped cream, you name it. Still got the fillings in my teeth to prove it” Komaeda opened his mouth to show Shuichi, who did not see anything wrong with Komaeda's teeth but believed him all the same.</p><p>Shuichi couldn’t help but try to picture what Komaeda’s mother was like. He wondered if Komaeda looked like her, messy white hair and all. </p><p>“What was your mom like?” Shuichi curiously asked.</p><p>Komaeda stopped in thought for a moment, mindful of how to describe her. Komaeda recalled what Kyoko had told him about Shuichi’s past, how he unfairly lost his mother before he could have the chance to share any memories of her. It broke Komaeda’s heart if he was being honest. </p><p>“My mother was someone who saw the hope in any situation, no matter how despairing it may seem.” Koameda opened with. “Her optimism never wavered, treating everybody with equal kindness. She loved making people happy but she never let herself get stepped on either.” </p><p>“She wasn’t dumb, far from it actually. To her good triumphs over all when everything is said and done. She inspired me, still does even to this day. There’s not a day where I don’t think about her.” Komaeda’s words trailed off as he spoke, looking back at a rather sympathetic Shuichi, masked with concern over him. </p><p>“It’s okay.” Komaeda was quick to speak back up. “I’ve long made peace with hers and my father’s passing.”</p><p>That did little to soothe Shuichi, his youthful empathy feeling for the plight Komaeda has gone through. Underneath that laid the inkling of jealousy at Komaeda for at least having memories of both of his parents. His few positive memories of his father were cherished, but so far and few between the countless memories of nights spent alone. At least he was still alive. Shuichi had the privilege to still talk to him… at some point. That’s more than he could say about his mother. </p><p>“I-I’m sorry to hear about your mother and father, Komaeda.” Shuichi politely offered his condolences. “I miss my mother too. Even if I don’t know her.” He stated very manner-of-fact, brushing over the pang of pain inside him as he spoke his truth. It stung to say, but he didn’t know what kind of person his mother was like. He didn’t even know what her voice sounded like. All he knew was that she was a stage actress, not famous by any means but a dedicated thespian all the same. </p><p>It hurt not knowing her. However that hurt was often just a numbness to Shuichi, a sting that could be ignored on a good day.</p><p>As Shuichi recoiled into shyness, Komaeda was stuck not knowing what to say to him now. He knew he had to say something, do anything to comfort the distraught child. His mouth began working faster than his brain could process.</p><p>“You may not know her, but a mother's love knows no bounds.” Komaeda calmly explained. He was not a religious person, far from it truthfully. Komaeda wasn’t stretching his beliefs of unconditional love though. “Even if she’s gone, one way or another she’s watching and protecting you. There are days where the despair of her loss may blind you, but it’s key to remember to hold onto your hope of better days ahead.”</p><p>“What?” Shuichi exclaimed, completely baffled. Komaeda lost him again with his talk of hope and despair.</p><p>It took Nagito staring at a confused Shuichi to realize what he was saying. Komaeda was good at catching himself before going too deep with his hope monologues. He doesn’t take his medication until after breakfast, taking the pills on an empty stomach often causing more problems than helping them.</p><p>“Let me rephrase myself.” Komaeda sighed. “Some days are going to be rougher than others. There will be days where the memories, or the lack thereof, hurt. Those days may completely immobilize you and you won’t want to get out of bed. And that is okay. I don’t know if that’s the case for you, especially in regards to your dad. I just want to make it clear for you now that if you’re having a rough day please come to me or Hinata or Nanami. I can’t promise we’ll fix the pain but we will do what we can to help you. If all we can do is listen, consider us all ears.”</p><p>Now Komaeda is making sense. Shuichi felt his chest getting heavier as Komaeda spoke, as he promised to be a pillar of support for him. Shuichi did have days where he would see another child with their mother and feel jealous, that jealousy often turning into pain and guilt over the jealousy in the first place. Komaeda’s words were validating to him, that he wasn’t selfish for hurting. He felt comfortable with going to Komaeda whenever thinking about his own parents sparked grief. Shuichi knew he was understood by him, even if he was struggling to understand Komaeda fully. Perhaps he’ll have all the time in the world to find out, an idea that did bring hope to Shuichi.</p><p>It was Shuichi’s to act before thinking. He carefully jumped off the stool and shuffled over to where Komaeda stood across the counter. He wrapped his body around long pale legs in a big hug, an act that caught Komaeda well off guard. As awkward as he felt after the shock died, Komaeda carefully rubbed Shuichi’s back as if he was petting a dog. </p><p>“Thank you.” Shuichi mumbled. “I hope I can stay here. I don't want to move anymore.” </p><p>A small laugh broke from Komaeda. “I can’t see why you wouldn’t, buddy.” He wasn’t lying to the boy. Even with Kyoko and Makoto around at night for the past week or so, Nagito was feeling more and more certain about being able to take care of Shuichi. Doing so with Hajime and Chiaki seemed almost too good to be true. A chance to have a family. Nagito liked the sound of that.</p><p>Shuichi parted from his embrace after a long minute. From upstairs Komaeda faintly heard the bedroom door open, followed by two sets of feet climbing down the stairs. Hinata reached the kitchen first, wearing his worn out Mariners pajama pants and a plain t-shirt. “Good morning guys” He yawned, giving Komaeda a kiss on the lips on his way to the fridge. </p><p>“Good morning love” Komaeda fluttered. “I saved you and Chiaki breakfast, I made everyone French Toast.” He said as the fridge door flung open, Hajime taking a plate and a large carton of orange juice over to the island counter. </p><p>“I thought I smelled that earlier, thank you honey.” Nanami sleepily stated as she walked into the kitchen, clad in Nagito’s old sweatshirt and a pair of Hajime’s athletic shorts. She had to get on her toes to give Komaeda a passionate kiss. As Hinata took a sip of orange juice from the carton he looked down at the nervous child. </p><p>“Good morning, Shuichi.” He warmly greeted me. As if on cue, Shuichi quickly clung onto Hinata’s legs. “Good morning!” Shuichi cheerfully responded. </p><p>To say he expected Shuichi to be this affectionate would be a lie. Hinata certainly felt as if he was building trust with him, but before now Shuichi was getting comfortable at his own pace. Not that he could blame him. What happened this morning that put Shuichi in such a good mood? What did Nagito tell him? Hinata rubbed Shuichi’s back in small circles, smiling at Shuichi as he stared up at him. Hinata then shot his eyes over to Komaeda, who had taken his and Shuichi’s plates over to the sink and was busy washing the dishes by hand. “And you were worried you’d be terrible with kids.” Hinata thought to himself. </p><p>As Shuichi let go, he turned around and saw Nanami kneeling down at him. “You’re not going to leave me out, are you?” She teased, Shuichi making no hesitation to fall into her stretched out arms. Even if she used The Sims and Chao Garden as references towards child care, Chiaki was surprised at how natural it all came to not only her but both of her boyfriends. Smothering Shuichi in a loving embrace, she was at peace with this becoming a new part of normality for her. </p><p>“Good morning, Nanami.” Shuichi strained, not complaining at the level of affection being given. Nanami was stronger than she looks that was made clear to him as his chest began to hurt.</p><p>“Good morning kiddo.” Nanami greeted back, easing her grip. “Did you sleep well?” </p><p>Again with that question. “Uh huh” Shuichi grunted as he finally broke out of his hug. Nanami shot back up to her feet and grabbed her plate of French Toast waiting for her in the fridge.</p><p>“So what’s on the agenda today?” Komaeda asked Hinata, who was digging into his plate on the counter. </p><p>“Junko’s partying until Monday so I’m off the clock till she gets back.” Hinata spoke between bites.</p><p>“Aww and you weren’t invited?” Komaeda mockingly sighed.</p><p>“I’m her manager, not her babysitter.” Hinata shuttered, recalling how nightmarish Junko is with a hangover. “But no, I don’t have anything planned for today. Tomorrow I may need your help moving my desk to the library if you don’t mind.”</p><p>Komaeda smiled, knowing what Hinata moving his office meant for Shuichi, even if moving Hajime’s old desk down to the basement sounded backbreaking. “Of course I can, I have nothing in mind for today either.” Both men turned their heads to Nanami, who sat at the kitchen island happily munching on her French Toast. “What about you, Chiaki?” Komaeda asked.</p><p>She held out her hand as she chewed, swallowing before responding. “I’m streaming tonight, but not until five. Besides that all I’ve got planned is enjoying a lazy Saturday.”</p><p>Shuichi felt the gaze of all three adults on him as he stood by Nanami. “What about you Shuichi, you have any errands to run?” Hinata joked, the humor lost on Shuichi. “I ah- no…” Shuichi bowed, unsure of what he was going to do until his aunt and uncle returned in the evening. </p><p>Nanami perked up, today sounding like the  perfect day to make good on a previous promise. “Hey Shuichi, if you’re up for it I think today would be perfect to play Legend of Zelda. Ocarina of Time is probably the best starting point but I still think Link to the Past is the best.” She offered. Shuichi pondered for a moment, remembering her ten minute tangent on the game series when she was showing him her large game collection the other day. Given how excited she was recollecting the adventures of the sword wielding elf his intrigue was definitely sparked. Having Nanami by him to keep him company and help him if he got stuck only sweetened the deal, even if she ended up taking the controller from him again while he watched. </p><p>“I’d like that.” Shuichi answered.</p><p>“Awesome, why don’t you get dressed and meet me in my den. I’ll have to set up the GameCube first.” Nanami stated as she got out of her seat, placing her plate in the sink and giving both of her boyfriends a quick kiss before leaving the room. Shuichi stared at Nanami as she left, bowing politely and scurrying out the kitchen to embark on a new journey. </p><p>——</p><p>Komaeda sat at the island, a much needed cup of coffee in one hand. Hinata stood across Komaeda, much like how the pale man stood across from Shuichi during breakfast. Both men stared at their phones in comfortable silence, occasional lazy chuckles from Komaeda aside. </p><p>“I think Shuichi is getting comfortable here.” Komaeda said without any prompt. </p><p>Hinata placed his phone on the counter. “You know I was curious about what happened to prompt him to hug me earlier. Not that I mind, it was just unexpected.”</p><p>Nagito gulped down the rest of his coffee. “I told him about my parents. Felt like if he knew that I’ve gone through the same kind of unfair tragedy it would help him. He’s a strong kid, but even the strongest of us all need a hand sometimes.”</p><p>Hajime chuckled. “Heh, and you were worried you’d scare him off.”</p><p>There was no disagreement there, he still remembered how nervous he was about making a poor impression when they all met him and Kyoko at the cafe a couple of weeks ago. Funny how quick things can change. </p><p>“Honestly, the thought of him staying fills me with almost overflowing levels of joy. I feel more and more confident in our ability to be guardians.”</p><p>“Helps that Shuichi is already so much more mature than most other kids his age.” Hajime pointed out. He often forgot that Shuichi was still only six years old. </p><p>Komaeda paused. "We should talk to Kyoko tonight, let her know we're all in."</p><p>Hinata sighed dreamily at his lover, taking his pale hand into his. “I agree.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>One day I'll have a more consistent upload schedule.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Junko That Came to Dinner (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shuichi tries and fails to avoid Junko Enoshima when she invites herself over one fateful day.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>OBJECTION!</p><p>Shuichi repeated the words of the famous Phoenix Wright as he held onto purple 3DS, his back resting comfortably on his bed in a nest of pillows and blankets. Several empty bags of chips and boxes of juice laid carelessly on the bed. Shuichi promised himself he’d take care of it later. The pleasant late summer sun outside his open window warmed the boy as he read the handheld consoles screen with utmost attention. He is eager to see the end of this particularly tough case once and for all. He hadn’t spent the last five hours transfixed on this game to be outwitted now. </p><p>As Shuichi selected the piece of evidence he knew would close the book on the case his mind wandered away from the cut-throat courtroom drama and to his world around him. Outside the confines of his room the house remained surprisingly quiet. Every once in a while the perpetually sleepy voice of Nanami would echo out from her gaming den across the hall, deep in her scheduled live stream. From the kitchen downstairs Komaeda could be heard starting dinner as he prepared all the ingredients he needed to make salmon tonight.</p><p>On any other day Shuichi would be playing a game or just watch his foster mother play while he laid on the futon in the den. Sometimes he’d help Komaeda prepare dinner if video games couldn’t keep his attention. Help meaning the stickily man did all the work while Shuichi would measure out the ingredients or just play observer. Most days though, Shuichi would be hogging the couch in the living room, reading a book while Hinata did work on his laptop or watched TV. Hinata always asked him about whatever novel he was currently reading, and listened closely to the long winded recap that would follow. Shuichi was still getting used to having parents around, the physical presence and peace of mind they brought to him after entering this world without it being something he longed for.</p><p>Today wasn’t a normal day however. Hinata’s client had decided to come over today with little warning, his client being the ever beautiful and terrifying Junko Enoshima. Shuichi shuddered as he feared for Hinata’s general well-being as he and Junko remained down in the basement in his office in the library.</p><p>Hajime hadn’t planned on working for the chaotic girl after he graduated college. He also hasn’t planned for what to do if he struggled to find a job either. When Junko offered him a position to be her manager he thought she was pulling another one of her unfunny pranks, but he reluctantly agreed. The thought of it being a prank died when he received his first check from her two weeks later, the five digit paycheck being too good to be true. That was about four years ago, and while acting less like a manager and more like an assistant by planning the model’s every public appearance the pay made the fact he was on hand for Junko Enoshima at any given moment almost worth it. One of the drawbacks in working for Enoshima meant unexpected visits to his house whenever she damn well pleased, today being one such day. The first such visit since Hajime and the rest of his triad took Shuichi into their home.</p><p>At first Shuichi had thought Hinata worked as a nanny after Komaeda bitterly revealed to him at breakfast that “the girl he’s babysitting is coming over today”. Unfortunately the sarcasm that dripped from Komaeda’s tongue was lost on Shuichi. An hour later when he saw no other child and instead a woman in a leopard skin jacket and menacing aura sitting on their couch between Hinata and Komaeda, Shuichi was justifiably confused. </p><p>“Where’s the girl you’re babysitting?” Shuichi innocently asked.</p><p>Komaeda covered his mouth with his hand, holding in a nervous laugh.</p><p>“The girl I’m babysitting?” Hinata repeated to himself, looking between his nervous boyfriend and baffled client quickly piecing the puzzle together. Hinata made no effort to stifle his laugh, much to the chagrin of the bombastic blond. </p><p> Junko growled as she flashed hatred in her eyes at the chuckling men. “Ohhhhh, you’re so funny Nagi-hoe” Junko snarked before turning back to Shuichi. She plastered her goto sugar coated grin, walking over to him like a snake hunting a mouse. </p><p>“You must be little Shuichi.” Junko sang as she crouched down to meet eyes with him, a sense of unease settling into the poor boy as he froze in place. She extended her hand out to him, Shuichi staring at her perfectly manicured hand before reluctantly grabbing her fingers for an improper handshake. “Junko Enoshima’s the name and I gotta say you’re like even cuter in person!” Junko uncharacteristically cooed as she pinched Shuichi’s cheek. </p><p>“I'm glad you're here, cause I have a present for you!” Junko exclaimed as she let go and stood up, walking to the front door where she left her large designer bag. Shuichi had a feeling in his stomach he wasn’t going to like whatever present he was about to receive.</p><p>She returned holding a creepy teddy bear that stared into Shuichi’s soul with it’s beady black eye, complemented with white fur on its left side. The right half had black fur with some sort of sideways lightning bolt shaped red eye. The dolls' contrasting eyes reminded Shuichi of Hinata’s heterochromia. She covered her face with the strange bear as she approached him again. Shuichi looked back at his guardians, who both sat on the couch watching what Junko was doing with both amusement and concern, ready to jump in at any moment.</p><p>“Puhuhuhu” Junko laughed with a hint of malice in her voice. The model popped her head from behind the doll, grinning wildly as she handed the bear over to him. “Here you go Shuichi!” He cautiously grabbed the doll from Junko despite having zero desire to ever play with the bear as it stared at him with it’s wicked smirk. </p><p>“Isn’t Monokuma just the cutest? I can’t fall asleep without him in my clutches. All my friends kids just love him!” Junko sounded too eager for comfort right now. Did other children truly appreciate such a disturbing doll? Shuichi knew he certainly didn’t.</p><p>“Make sure you take extra good care of him.” Junko pleaded in what came across as a thinly veiled threat, winking at the now shaking child. </p><p>“Are you done scaring the kid yet?” Hinata’s annoyed voice called out as he walked over to Shuichi, seeing how close the situation was to getting out of hand. Junko pressed her finger to her chin as she thought of an answer. </p><p>“Hmmm, almost” She replied before she growled at Shuichi and suddenly lunged at him. She didn’t actually touch him but the sudden motion was the straw that broke Shuichi enough to loudly yelp as he turned around and escape up the stairs. As he ran to his room the sound of Junko’s wild laughter and Hinata cursing at her were quickly muffled as he shut the door to his room. Shuichi stared back at the Monokuma doll, disgust building in his belly as he threw it into his closet without a second thought.</p><p>—</p><p>Shuichi didn’t resent Junko at all despite her poor first impression on him. She still scared him worse than any horror movie Komaeda would watch, make no mistake on that either. Even without any hard feelings towards the supermodel Shuichi breathed easy once he heard her go down to the basement, where she and Hinata have stayed since. Shuichi retained focus back to his Ace Attorney game as the judge declared Phoenix’s client not guilty. He cheered softly to himself despite missing a lot of details at the end, relieved that he managed to beat the remaining trials he had in one sitting. Shuichi hoped Nanami would be proud, having beat the game without the help of any of the guides she offered him. He could easily start the next game in the series seeing as Nanami already owned them all but he lacked the ability to get fully enveloped in video gaming as easily as his foster mother. He craved variety in mental stimulation.</p><p>As the game’s end credits rolled on screen, Shuichi remembered his promise to himself and collected his garbage before Komaeda saw it. Shuichi nearly filled his waste bin besides his desk, taking a fruitless desperation sip out of one of the juice boxes before tossing it in disappointment.</p><p>Shuichi found himself weighing the pros and cons of his next course of action. He could choose to stay put in his room until dinner’s ready, and risk feeling further dehydration for who knows how long. The other option entailed risking bumping into Junko as he went downstairs for more juice. As he smacked his drying lips he took his chips and decided to gamble, slowly opening his door as quiet as he could. Shuichi tiptoed out to the hallway and checked the doors to his right. The door at the end of the hall leading to the attic remained closed, while both Chiaki’s den and the bathroom across from it were wide open. He peeked past the stairs and saw the door leading to the master bedroom was open but bore no life as it was noticeably empty and dark. </p><p>Slowly creeping towards the stairs to the railing that overlooked the living room, Shuichi peaked past the corner and saw the couch empty and TV off. He didn’t want to risk the possibility of Hinata and Junko having moved their meeting back upstairs. Seeing as the coast was now clear, Shuichi nearly slid down the stairs as he hugged the wall of the winding stair case. Once at the base of the stairs, he peaked to his right over to the wide open basement door at the end of the hall, across from the entryway to the kitchen. Shuichi crept to the kitchen, listening in on the off chance he hears people coming up the creaky old stairs that lead down to the basement. The sounds of Komaeda making dinner made listening in difficult, but not impossible.</p><p>Komaeda was too busy chopping onions at the counter to notice his foster son enter the kitchen, the strong odor hitting Shuichi’s nostrils in a tear inducing wall. Quickly covering his nose with his shirt, Shuichi saw Komaeda with the kitchen knife and knew not to sneak up on him now. Shuichi walked over to the fridge to his left, his eyes darting to the boxes of apple juice on the lowest shelf as his hand met his vision and took only one. Beverage in hand, Shuichi slowly shut the door at a snail’s pace. Despite his every attempt to be as ghostly quiet as possible, Shuichi only made it two steps before hearing the voice of Komaeda.</p><p>“Can’t you see I’m making dinner right now?” Komaeda venomously barked. Shuichi’s blood ran cold as he tried to defend his actions. </p><p> “I-I’m sorry I only took a juice box.” Shuichi meekly pleaded. Komaeda snapped his head back, surprised to even see Shuichi in the first place. His once stern demeanor faded as he placed the knife on the counter and approached the boy. </p><p>“Ah, I’m for snapping at you Shuichi.” Komaeda calmly apologized “I’m a little on edge right now but it’s not your fault.” He explained, guilty about his abnormally quick temper being lashed out at the one person in this house who didn’t deserve it. “You can keep juice.” Shuichi held on the box, a faint feeling of triumph swelling inside him. </p><p>“It’s okay Komaeda.” Shuichi could tell by the lack of his usual calmness that he was in a bad mood, a level of irritability normally associated with his other foster father. Komaeda flashed a brief grin as he ruffled Shuichi’s hair before walking over to the sink. As he washed his hands he remembered to let Shuichi know what annoyed him in the first place.</p><p>“Junko is joining us for dinner tonight.” Komaeda didn’t realize he was scrubbing himself harder as he thought about her. As naturally interesting as she may be, Komaeda had no idea how his boyfriend was able to spend as much time around her as he did. He knew Hajime had saintly patience but Hajime had a habit of exceeding his expectations. Komaeda was still peeved that Junko nearly made Shuichi cry earlier. If he had it his way she would have been thrown out then and there. </p><p>Internally Shuichi was crying out at this unfavorable twist of fate. Temptation struck as he immediately thought about asking if he could eat dinner in his room. He already knew that Komaeda would say no, but still there must be something he could do to avoid facing Enoshima again. Shuichi’s inner monologue escaped his body as a single sigh, one that was met with empathy from Komaeda. </p><p>“I feel you there buddy. Junko can be hard to handle… but she won’t bite.” Komaeda said in an attempt to comfort Shuichi. The boy had a hard time believing him fully but he got the idea that he couldn’t get out of this. All he could do was stay near any one of his guardians and hope Junko left him alone. Shuichi had his juice box, taking a few sweet sips that quickly offered the boy the refreshment he needed in the first place. He decided he should hurry back up to his room to prepare himself for dinner time. As his body began to retrace its steps back upstairs the loud creaking of steps from the basement acted as an alarm that Enoshima was drawing near. Shuichi began to panic, having not planned on what to do in this exact situation. He ran into the hallway and could tell that their steps were already near the top of the stairs. </p><p>Shuichi considers himself a smart kid. Even the smartest of people freak out in the face of fear, the adrenaline rush often acting as a cloud to rational thought. He could have run all the way up the second floor stairs and made it to his room without being seen by anyone, he knew that. Instead he ran to the door at the other end of the hallway, and hid himself in the coat closet. As he closed the door behind him the distinct voice of Enoshima could be heard calling down to her manager who was close behind her.</p><p>“Dealing with those fucking leeches at TMZ makes my blood boil.” </p><p>“Mine too, but you didn’t have to grab that guy’s phone and throw it into the sewer, Junko.”</p><p>“He had NO right asking about my daughter like that. That lowlife creep was lucky I didn’t shove that phone down his throat like I wanted to.” </p><p>Hajime honestly understood where she was coming from now that he’s been taking care of Shuichi. He had no idea how he would handle strangers asking him about his personal life as if it should be public knowledge. That still doesn’t make assaulting the paparazzi legal but he knew Junko didn’t care. </p><p>“I need a cigarette after all that bullshit” she groaned, realizing she left her Parliament’s in her jacket in the closet. </p><p>Inside the closet, Shuichi’s heartbeat only increased as footsteps approached him. He slithered his way behind all the coats that hung on hangers on the rack. As he gripped the two coats that covered him he noticed one of them was fuzzy and soft to the touch. Despite the lack of light at the moment a close inspection revealed that this was some sort of animal fur coat. It was almost like the coat Junko was wearing. Oh no.</p><p>Suddenly, the door flung wide open, a hand going straight for the pockets of the leopard skin jacket that was only mere inches away from Shuichi’s face. From the side of his vision Shuichi could see the disinterested face of the one person he was avoiding. She had no idea he was there. That is, until she turned her head ten degrees to her left and saw the small form of a child hiding behind the coats. While Junko Enoshima was a master at masking her emotions, she surprised herself in screaming in genuine fear as she jumped away from the closet. Hinata ran over to whatever freaked Enoshima out in the closet, his fight or flight instinct cooling off the second he saw his sheepish foster son awkwardly standing behind his winter coat and Junko’s ugly fur jacket. Shuichi looked up at him and smiled shyly before taking another sip of juice. An uncontrollable grin formed on Hinata’s face.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Hajime asked before he gave in to his laughter. </p><p>“Yeah, what WERE you doing in there you little demon?” Junko demanded, fuming hard enough for steam to be blowing out of her ears. Hajime’s laugh fueling her fires of rage. </p><p>“I call it karma from earlier” Hajime responded as he caught his breath. Junko glared back at her manager who’s smirk only widened further.</p><p>Junko closed her eyes and took a deep breath before relaxing. “I gotta say I’m impressed kid, I haven’t been scared like that in a HOT minute. Next time you won’t be so lucky and you better remember that.”</p><p>Junko’s hot and cold nature only further rattled Shuichi’s nerves, but he knew he had to explain himself quickly.</p><p>“I wasn’t trying to scare you though, I was getting a juice box and when I heard you coming upstairs I sort of… panicked.” Shuichi confessed. Junko raised an eyebrow, disbelief plastered on her face. </p><p>“So you decided to hide in the closet?” Hinata pointed out, far too amused at the situation to even consider being upset at his son. He had zero doubt in his mind that Shuichi was telling the truth. </p><p>“I uh, didn’t think she’d open the door.” Shuichi admitted. Hinata burst into a fit of laughter again, cursing himself for not having caught Junko’s shrill scream on camera. The memory will be more than enough for him though. </p><p>Junko huffed before grabbing her box of cigarettes with her to the back patio, anger burning inside for letting herself get caught off guard by such a wimpy child. </p><p>“I didn’t think she’d open the door.” Junko mocked to herself before taking a long drag of her cigarette. “Yeah right, you little shit.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Junko That Came to Dinner (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The moment Shuichi's been dreading has finally come up.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What to do, what to do?” Shuichi asked himself as he tossed and turned in his nest of pillows and blankets.</p><p>“If I can’t avoid dinner, maybe I should just eat as fast as I can? Hinata would let me be excused early right?” Shuichi wondered, unaware of his own increasing volume. </p><p>“What if Junko notices and decides she’s not going to let get away that easy?” He countered himself, his confidence dwindling.</p><p>Knock knock</p><p>“Shuichi honey, dinner’s ready.” The calm voice of Nanami called out from the other side of the door.</p><p>“Oh man, already?” Shuichi mumbled to himself, his mind unable to convince his body to get up. “I’ll be right there!” He yelled out, lying through his teeth.</p><p>Silence from outside his door. A tense silence hung in the air for a minute as neither Shuichi or Nanami moved an inch. A soft sigh broke the stalemate, followed by the gentle creaking of the door opening as Nanami stepped inside the bedroom. </p><p>Nanami took a seat by the foot of the bed, Shuichi remaining motionless as he gawked at his caretaker. </p><p>“What’s wrong kiddo?” Nanami gently asked, already knowing the source of Shuichi’s troubles. How could she not hear Junko scream bloody murder a few hours ago? She agreed with her boyfriends in calling it karma from what Hajime has told her.</p><p>Shuichi sighed, feeling foolish that he thought he could simply hide in his room forever. Unless… </p><p>“Do I have to eat dinner tonight?” He asked in desperation. “I can just stay up in my room and play more Ace Attorney. I beat the first game today and I think I can get a good head start on the second-” His plea to Nanami was cut off with a quiet hush.</p><p>“As fun as being the Ace Attorney is, even the best lawyers need to recharge their batteries with a good meal.” Nanami reasoned. </p><p>“I know Junko can be scary, trust me kiddo I’d avoid her too if I could. But she’s not going to hurt you, that I can promise.” Nanami knew she couldn’t fully stop Junko from scaring him again if she really wanted to, but saying that right now would be counterproductive.</p><p>Shuichi groaned in defeat, turning his back away from her. Nanami smiled to herself as a foolproof plan formulated in her mind.</p><p>“Well, how about we come to a compromise then?” Nanami offered as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “If we can get through dinner with our special guest tonight and we can go celebrate with ice cream.”</p><p>Shuichi slowly turned back around to face her as he considered her plan.</p><p>“From the place by the library?” He confirmed as a barrage of recent memories of the triad treating him to a small ice cream parlor in town playing in his mind.</p><p>“The one and only.” Nanami laughed. </p><p>Another silence, this one broken before the awkwardness could sink in. </p><p>“… Can I get two scoops?” Shuichi quietly asked, much to Nanami’s relief. </p><p>“Of course sweetie.” She rustled his soft hair a second before getting back on her feet. “But first we have to eat dinner.” She extended her hand out to the boy. “Now let’s go downstairs, we wouldn’t want dinner to go cold now, do we?” </p><p>Shuichi took a deep, calming breath before hopping off his bed and taking Nanami’s hand. Junko may scare him, but he’d deal with a dozen Junko’s if that meant getting mint chocolate chip ice cream out of it. </p><p>On second thought, the idea of twelve Junko Enoshima’s in one room sounds like the premise of a horror movie. A nightmare he wouldn’t dare wish on even his most fiendish enemy. </p><p>-<br/>
As Shuichi and Nanami descended the stairs down to the dining room, the clanking of plates and silverware rang out from the hallway. Shuichi peaked from behind Nanami, seeing that Junko had already taken a seat at one edge of the narrow table, too focused on her expensive cell phone to help Komaeda and Hinata set the table.</p><p>The delicately savory smell of the salmon hit Shuichi’s nostrils as he entered the room. The pan holding the fish resting at the center of the table besides helpings of steamed vegetables and rice. It all looked and smelled divine, quality home cooked meals being another aspect of life Shuichi was unaware he was missing until he experienced it firsthand. Hinata was pouring four glasses of expensive looking red wine at the other end of the table, taking a big gulp from one of the glass cups before topping it back up again. Komaeda set plates on the table with utmost perfection, the table resembling something out of a catalog. </p><p>“Perfect timing!” Komaeda exclaimed, greeting his girlfriend with a gentle kiss as Shuichi helped himself to a seat by the other end of the table, Hinata having staked his seat at the head of the table. A glass of milk was placed in front of Shuichi, Shuichi turning around to face a relaxed Hinata.</p><p>“Thank you, Hinata” Shuichi spoke with utmost courtesy before taking a sip of milk. </p><p>Hajime smiled before taking his seat, Nanami and Komaeda following as Komaeda sat across from Shuichi, Nanami seating herself to the right of her foster son. Junko had not as much as coughed as she sat motionless in her chair, much to Shuichi’s relief. Shuichi’s less than subtle watching of their guest was sound tracked by the clanking of silver wear as everyone else grabbed the food in the middle of the table.</p><p>Suddenly, Junko scoffed before putting down her phone and stared directly at Shuichi.</p><p>“Did Hajime not teach ya it’s rude to stare?” Junko venomously spat.</p><p>“N-no” Shuichi recoiled before averting his eyes to Nanami who was filling his plate for him. She was muttering rather strong language under her breath before stopping to give him a sympathetic smile. </p><p>“Junko.” Hinata sternly called out. “Watch your tone with Shuichi. He apologized already, lay off of him. In fact I don’t remember YOU apologizing for scaring him first.”</p><p>Junko rolled her eyes at her manager, “Well I was going to until little Toshio over there got the jump on me.” She rebutted.</p><p>“Toshio?” Shuichi asked himself, failing to piece together what she meant by that. </p><p>Komaeda awkwardly laughed. “Are you like this with Tsumugi?”</p><p>Anger flared within the supermodel before quickly suppressing it externally. “No, I am not thank you very much. In fact I’ll have you know I’m a fucking fantastic mother. Tsumugi would never dare to challenge me like that anyway.” She angrily defended herself. </p><p>GASP</p><p>As if on cue, all the adults stopped their conversation and turned their attention to the lone child at the table, who couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Shuichi could not believe the woman before him was a parent. The concept of a potential little Junko Enoshima out there in the world filled Shuichi with dread, despair even.</p><p>“S-sorry” Shuichi apologized, uneasy with all the attention on him as he turned towards Junko. “You have a kid?” He bluntly asked without actually looking at her. </p><p>Enoshima laughed, easing the tension in the room. </p><p>“That’s right, I have a daughter that’s about your age.” She paused. “How old are you again?” </p><p>“S-six. I’ll be seven soon though.” He confirmed.</p><p>“Awe you two are the same age then!” She cooed with sudden excitement.</p><p>“Hey Hajime we should like, arrange a playdate or something!” She suggested, ignoring the fact that Hinata was still clearly annoyed at her. “I think they’ll get along great, I mean they both have blue hair so they already have something to bond over.”</p><p>“I’m not quite sure it works like that.” Komaeda pointed out.</p><p>“Like you would know,  did you ever befriend another kid with white hair?” Junko chided.</p><p>“Well, N-no.” Komaeda responded, cut off before he could further explain himself.</p><p>“Exactly, so I think my judgment on who my sweet little Tsumugi would like is more valid than your lonely ass.”</p><p>Komaeda frowned, but opted to keep his thoughts to himself for now. Junko turned her attention back at Shuichi as he was scarfing down his rice.</p><p>“You know Shuichi I actually had a question I wanted to ask you.” Junko revealed. </p><p>His stomach churned, unsure as to what she would want to know from a kid like him. </p><p>“You look familiar.” She stated. “Not you exactly, but you resemble someone I used to know. Does the name Kyoko have any meaning to you?”</p><p>Shuichi’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. How did she know Auntie?</p><p>“Junko what are you trying to do?” Nanami demanded.</p><p>“What, am I not allowed to ask an innocent question?” </p><p>“Um, I have an Auntie Kyoko. Her last name is Kirigiri'' Shuichi revealed. He could tell by gleam in Junko’s eyes that he gave her the last piece of whatever puzzle she was putting together in her head. </p><p>“Holy shit you’re Kirigiri’s nephew? I thought I saw the resemblance.” Junko said as she studied the timid boy. “You’re not all… robotic like her though. You’re already more in tune with your emotions then she ever has been.”</p><p>“Maybe don’t insult his aunt?” Hinata warned.</p><p>“Hey I was giving the kid a compliment. I never hated Kyoko at all, even if she was a wet blanket.” Junko said as she ate another bite of the salmon Nagito had painstakingly cooked. </p><p>Shuichi lacked the proper courage to speak up right now. He had to agree in saying his Aunt Kyoko wasn’t exactly open with her emotions until the incident happened. Before this mess with his father she had always been unwavering in her stoicism. Her feelings were unreadable as she wore her calm and collected presence as if they were like her gloves. But Shuichi has seen his aunt without her gloves before. He knew the scars of the past she carried with her. He knew she wasn’t one to get distracted by the pain.</p><p>“Speaking of which, how come you’re staying here and not with her?” Junko asked. She knew the twerp’s dad was in prison right now, but that was about the only detail Hajime would tell her. Up until now she didn’t care enough to pry deeper.</p><p>The room fell into a deadly silence. Hinata glared dangerously at his client, who paid him no mind as she stared directly into Shuichi’s soul. Komaeda and Nanami looked at one another, hoping the other one would speak up first. </p><p>“It’s none of your business, Junko.” Nanami spoke up with rare assertiveness. </p><p>“Just because I can't stay with Auntie that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love me.” Shuichi interrupted by paraphrasing what his aunt told him before meeting the triad. He had asked himself that same question before if he was being honest. It didn’t make the sting of hearing someone else ask hurt any less. </p><p>Junko leaned back into her seat, pondering for a moment. “Sorry for getting nosy.” She apologized with suspicious sincerity.<br/>
“It’s just when you hear about one of your former classmates having juicy family drama it’s hard for me to just ignore it.” Junko gently shook her wine glass before finishing the remaining Cabernet in one gulp. “At least you can rely on her to do the right thing. As boring as that is.” Junko grabbed the wine bottle besides Komaeda and poured herself another glass, ignoring his bewildered face. Instead, she turned her attention back to Shuichi, daring him to break her gaze. </p><p>“Your aunt and uncle were in my graduating class in high school. I can’t deny they’re good people. Your uncle being especially… hopeful.” The way Junko said “hopeful” was venomous, but she carried on. “Sounds like they haven’t changed one bit. Lucky you, kid.” Junko looked around at the triad that was now all staring at her. “They left you in capable hands. Hajime here’s the only manager I’ve ever had I can like, rely on.” </p><p>And just like that, Junko managed to both create and ease the tension in the room at her whim.</p><p>“How long have you known Hinata?” Shuichi asked, trying to piece together everyone’s timeline. </p><p>“Junko was in the class under ours.” Hinata answered. “To this day I’m not entirely sure as to  why she hung out with us, but I met her my junior year if I’m not mistaken.” Hinata explained. </p><p>“How’d you meet her though?”</p><p>Hinata paused. “Detention.” He admitted.</p><p>“Detention?” Shuichi asked in awe.</p><p>“I got into a fight with some upper class man.” Hinata winced at his attempt to punch that Juzo guy. The same Juzo who carried the “Ultimate Boxer” title. “Not my proudest moment that’s for sure.”</p><p>Shuichi had no idea Hinata was the type to get into fights, but he imagined the other guy must have had it coming. Was this the only fight he got in? He now had so many new questions.   </p><p>“What was Hinata like in high school?” Shuichi asked, choosing what he thought to be the simplest question. He looked over at Hinata who now screamed total panic in his eyes. More surprising, both Komaeda and Junko shared a mischievous grin as they looked at one another. Nanami playfully rolled her eyes before getting up from her seat.</p><p>“I think our yearbooks are down in the library.” She stated as she walked over to the hallway.</p><p>“Chiaki please.” Hajime pleaded, his face turning beet red. “Don’t.” </p><p>“What’s so funny?” Shuichi asked, unaware of the can of worms he just opened up. </p><p>“Oh you’ll see.” Komaeda grinned. </p><p>It only took Nanami a minute to return from the basement, yearbook in hand. A photo of a large school and the words Hope's Peak Academy 2009-10 gracing the cover. </p><p>“This was from the year the three of us graduated, our Senior year.” Nanami explained as she handed the book over to the curious child. “Like Junko said your aunt and uncle were one year below us, their Junior year.” </p><p>Shuichi glanced through the pages as he looked for the people he knew. He found the pages dedicated to that year's graduating class and hunted for any of his guardians. Carefully reading each name until he reached the “H’s” he found the name Hajime Hinata. However the photo was of a boy with drastically long hair and a face devoid of all emotion. Had it not been for the same red and green eyes as the Hinata he knew Shuichi would think the names got swapped with someone else. </p><p>Junko took great pleasure in seeing Hajime squirm in his seat as Shuichi gawked at his high school picture. </p><p>“What’s wrong?” Junko mocked. “Thought you could keep Izuru buried forever?”</p><p>“Actually yes, I did.” Hajime admitted as he put his head in his hands. “Clearly that was a mistake on my end.” </p><p>“I told you so.” Nanami dead panned as she finished her plate.</p><p>As Junko and Komaeda shared laughs, Shuichi was failing to see the humor in any of this. Frankly he didn’t understand what any of this meant in the first place.</p><p>“Who’s Izuru?” Shuichi asked.</p><p>Hinata groaned as he tuned out his client’s laughter. “In high school I tried being someone I wasn’t. I went by a different name, Izuru.” Hinata reluctantly explained before glaring back at Junko. “Long story short, turns out I was having a severe identity crisis and I was in the hospital for a month trying to get it sorted out.” While none of that was a lie, Hinata decided he can wait to tell Shuichi about his life-threatening mental breakdown when he’s older.</p><p>“Ohhhhh. But why was it so funny?”</p><p>Hajime sighed. “Because Junko and Komaeda like to make bad jokes at my expense and don’t know when to shut up.” </p><p>“Love you honey.” Komaeda blew a kiss over at his boyfriend, who in return subtly returned his gesture with a rather rude hand gesture of his own just out of sight of Shuichi under the table. </p><p>Shuichi had already moved away from Hinata in the book and found Komaeda, who’s calm expression and wild hair had not changed one bit. </p><p>“I always loved this picture of you Komaeda” Nanami complimented after wiping her mouth.</p><p>“That garbage photo?” Komaeda blushed. “I look like I just fell out of bed, but I appreciate it.”</p><p>Nanami brushed off Komaeda’s refusal to take a compliment with a soft laugh. </p><p>“Oh yeah, I remember peak Twink Nagito.” Junko reminisced.<br/>
“What’s a twink?” Shuichi asked.</p><p>“Look in a mirror in like, ten years.” Junko carelessly responded, resulting in a swift kick in the shin by Chiaki. Junko hadn’t seen murder in her eyes before, and for the second time today she felt genuine fear.</p><p>“It’s uh, nothing important.” Hianata offered, desperate to change the subject. He grabbed the yearbook and quickly turned the page over to where Nanami’s photo was. He placed the book back in front of Shuichi. </p><p>“See, I always loved Nanami’s photo here.” Hinata stated, hoping Shuichi wasn’t stuck on Junko’s poor phrasing as he pointed out his girlfriend in the book. Shuichi followed his finger and smiled. </p><p>Nanami wore her familiar kind smile in her photo. Her hair was about the same as it was now, if a little shorter. It amazed Shuichi how little Komaeda and Nanami have changed in the decade or so between when these pictures were taken and now. It just made “Izuru” that much more jarring to him. No matter how he tried, Shuichi just couldn’t see Hinata with long hair.</p><p>“Ohmygawd, let me show you my picture.” Junko exclaimed as she grabbed the book from Shuichi, flipping pages rapidly until she found herself. She handed the yearbook back to Shuichi, who recognized Junko from her unchanged blond hair and devious smile she wore like a mask. This younger version lacked the heavy bags under Junko’s eyes but Shuichi was far too smart to say such a comment out loud.</p><p>Frankly he didn’t focus on Enoshima for long, his eyes wandering down the page where he happened across Auntie Kyoko. He’d seen photos of her as a teenager before, but never her school photos. Her lack of a smile both reminded Shuichi of Hinata and left him with zero surprise. He could count the times Kyoko Kirigiri has given more than an insincere smirk for the camera on one hand. All of but one have Uncle Makoto with her in them. The other one being a snapshot from a vacation she and his father took when they were younger. The same photo where Shuichi thought he was looking in the mirror when seeing his father at a young age.</p><p>Lost in thought, a strong lavender scent dominated Shuichi’s nostrils. The sudden sensory attack halted Shuchi’s near mental spiral. He reluctantly looked behind him, meeting Junko face to face as she hovered over him. Shuichi recognized the scent as the model's obnoxious perfume. </p><p>"See, Kyoko looks like she watched a cat die as her photo was being taken." Junko called out as she stared at Kirigiri’s drab photo. </p><p>"I'm not repeating my warning." Hinata barked, prompting Junko to finally heed his words and sit back down, much to Shuichi's relief. The smell of her perfume was starting to give him a headache as he involuntarily unclenched his tensing muscles.</p><p>——</p><p> </p><p>Brilliant shades of red and orange paint the sky over the park bench Shuichi and his family sit on. Sandwiched between Nanami and Hinata, the faint chill creeping into the air was unnoticed between the abundance of body heat. It’ll only be a matter of time before the leaves match the colors of the sky above. </p><p>Droplets of cold mint ice cream drip onto Shuichi’s hand as he slowly eats from a waffle cone. As satisfying as two scoops are he realized far too late how messy all that ice cream could be. None of this putting a damper on his mood of course. He earned this ice cream after a day like today. </p><p>“You’re not seriously considering that play date, are you Hajime?” Komaeda gasped, almost spilling his vanilla cone to the ground.</p><p>“I won’t be able to avoid it now.” Hinata sighed. Shuichi felt his appetite disappear as he listened in. </p><p>“Is Junko’s daughter just like her?” Shuichi worked up the courage to ask.</p><p>“Well.” Hinata paused. “She’s polite and rather soft spoken.” That alone was proof that this Tsumugi girl was at least not a complete Junko clone to Shuichi.</p><p>“From all accounts all she really does is watch anime and dress up like her favorite characters.” Hinata continued, remembering how proud she was to show him and Junko her impressive Sailor Mercury last time he was over at Junko’s apartment.</p><p>Shuichi frowned, realizing he may not be able to relate to this girl at all. Which is still marginally better than dealing with an annoying hell spawn. </p><p>“Who knows, maybe you’ll wind up becoming friends!” Nanami enthusiastically suggested as her head remained down as she tended to her island in Animal Crossing. </p><p>“I don’t know if I’d go that far but if we can’t avoid this then we may as well go into it with high hopes.” Komaeda stated.</p><p>Shuichi was still lost in thought. The more he considered meeting this Tsumugi girl the more questions he had. Questions that could only be answered by her in person.</p><p>“I’d be okay with meeting her.” Shuichi decided. He just had to see for himself how Tsumugi wasn’t like her mother at all. Maybe Nanami would be right and he could make a new, unexpected friend in the end. </p><p>“If you say so, buddy.” Hinata responded, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket. “Whenever we do this play date, I’ll teach you a bird call and that can be our cue to leave.” Hinata half joked.</p><p>“Where was that plan at dinner?” Shuichi complained.</p><p>“Good question.” Hinata winced. He knew he couldn’t blame himself for today. Junko saw no need in formalities such as being invited over to someone’s house before showing up. He knew he should have planned for this when Shuichi first started staying over but he foolishly thought he’d have more time to prepare.</p><p> “I do believe you’ll like Tsumugi though.” Hinata sighed. “If she was a mini-Junko I wouldn’t be even considering the offer.”</p><p>Shuichi still had an inkling of doubt inside him, but he had to take his word on this. Hinata has been infinitely more reliable for the truth since meeting him. As far as Shuichi is concerned Hinata and all three of his guardians earned his benefit of doubt.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hoped you all enjoyed this early christmas gift of mine! Thank you all who've left kind comments and kudos so far to my oddly specific fan writings! Maybe I can get something out sooner than a month and a half next time.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. As Cruel as School Children (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shuichi finds out first hand the kind of prankster Kokichi is.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Not gonna lie, I'm excited to finally be able to bring in some more of the V3 cast in here. I'm going to note now that many of the V3 kids have different last names than their canon since a lot of their parents are from the first 2 games with this AU.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sounds of high pitched laughter and aimless chatter echo throughout the playground at Sunny Hills Elementary on a picturesque October morning. It was time for daily recess, a much beloved time to unwind and let loose the pent up energy that sitting at a desk all morning can build. The children had broken up in their small groups all throughout the playground. Many would come together and play a game of Kickball that nobody actually cared to win. Others avoided the exercise and found comfortable places to sit as they talked about whatever topic was important that day. </p><p>Dead center of the enclosed field was a blue and white play set, it’s size and quality a subtle indication of the money the students' parents provided to the school. The structure was a massive hodge podge of towers, bridges, and many different ladders and slides. Five students hung out near the top of the metal structure, on their regular meet up spot by the tallest slide. They all mingled around as they were deciding roles amongst themselves for their daily game of house. </p><p>“Why do I have to be the dog?” Keebo pouted, his hand nervously running through his silver hair. His eyes couldn’t help but wander over to the slide as he contemplated running away and finding someone else to play with. Maybe it wasn’t too late to join the kickball game.</p><p>“Because Keebo.” Maki sighed “The last time we played house we let Miu be the dog and she got a little too into it.” She shivered. </p><p>“Better than the time we let her be the mom.” Kaede pointed out.</p><p>“We don’t speak of that day.” Maki whispered, given all the more reason to never invite the loudmouthed blond. One blond was enough and that was Kaede’s role to lose. </p><p>“Everyone loves the dog!” Kaito excitedly assured, hanging over Keebo’s shoulder. “It’s super easy too! All you have to do is bark and follow me around.”</p><p>“That doesn’t sound very fun.” Keebo frowned, further unconvinced at the role. </p><p>“Well if Keebo doesn’t want to be the dog, I can switch with him!” Kaede offered, ever the peacemaker. “We can have two dads!”</p><p>Shuichi had to hide his disappointment at the change of plans. As silly as it may be but he was excited at the idea of being the parents with Kaede this time. There was always next time. </p><p>“Is it against the rules to have two dads?” Keebo asked Maki, whose hand had not yet fallen off her frustrated face. </p><p>“Nothing in the rules says we have to have a mom and a dad.” She huffed.</p><p>“Yeah there’s nothing wrong with having two dads, right Shuichi!” Kaito called out to his friend who nodded in agreement. Shuichi and Kaito know first hand the boring reality two fathers bring. Even if it did in fact bring double the amount of horrible puns. </p><p>“Okay so it’s decided. Keebo and Shuichi are the dads, Kaito and I are the siblings, and Kaede’s the dog.” Maki declared. “Can we finally start playing now?” </p><p>“W-works for me.” Keebo stuttered. He wouldn’t deny he was pleased he didn’t have to be the family pet but now he was growing worried he and Shuichi wouldn’t make for good parents. Neither boy had a reputation for being authoritative to say the least. Shuichi himself was at a further disadvantage with being the new kid. </p><p>Far away from the metal playset, a certain purple haired boy was observing his classmates as they remained careless to the world around them. His eyes focused on Shuichi, smiling as a plan formulated in his brain.</p><p>“Oh-ho-ho Saihara.” The boy laughed to himself as he slowly paced over to his target. “Let’s see how excited you are to see dear old pops again.” </p><p>--</p><p>Kokichi Lundenburg was by far one of the smallest kids in class, his gremlin-level height fitting his personality like a glove. His thoughts were dedicated to scheming up pranks to pull on his classmates, of fictitious fables of his life to spout out to anybody who would listen. He was careful to plan out his lame excuses and lies for his actions in the event he’s caught. He knew he was reckless but he wasn’t stupid either. There were many different words one could use to describe Kokichi. While his favorite self-appointed title is one of a “Prankster King”, the rest of his classmates were more partial to “Headache.”</p><p>Hearing footsteps on the old metal equipment, Maki made no attempt to hide her fumes as she watched Kokichi approach with a dangerous look of mischief on his face. She could  tell he already prepared whatever unfunny gag he has up his sleeve. </p><p>“Go away Kokichi.” Maki coldly ordered, his grin becoming more devilish as her demands were ignored. </p><p>The rest of the children turned around to see their mischievous classmate right behind them, his pace remaining slow and calculated towards Shuichi. </p><p>“H-hi Kokichi.” Kaede greeted with forced friendliness. “Wanna play house with us?” She reluctantly offered.</p><p>“Yeah he can play the uncle that never gets invited to Christmas, now let me say it one last time.” Maki huffed. “GET LOST PIPSQUEAK!” She suddenly screamed before turning her back on her trouble-making classmate.</p><p>“Hehehe.” Kokichi forced a laugh as he stopped in his tracks. He made no attempt to even acknowledge the ringing in his ears after Maki siren screeched at him. She wasn’t going to get in his way with this. “No, I’m not here to play your dumb game.” He admitted. “I actually have an announcement for Shuichi!” He menacingly revealed.</p><p>Shuichi had no idea what Kokichi had planned but he had a very bad feeling about this. Out of all his classmates, Kokichi was by far the most unpredictable. He still remembered how Lundenberg forced crocodile tears and got Tenko in trouble on the first day of school. Maki resented him the most out of everyone though, herself a victim of his “jokes” going back to preschool. Shuichi himself didn’t know how he felt about Kokichi. He certainly didn’t appreciate his insensitivity towards his peers for the sake of humor. He knew Kokichi enough already to know he wouldn’t go away unless you played along.</p><p>“What announcement?” Shuichi reluctantly asked.</p><p>An evil smile formed on Kokichi’s lips for a moment.</p><p>“Did you not hear the news? I’m surprised you haven’t heard yet” Kokichi exasperated.</p><p>“W-what news?” Shuichi asked, the bad feeling in his belly growing further by the second.</p><p>“Oh, just that your dad’s getting released from prison today.” Kokichi nonchalantly announced. “Said he was innocent and everything! Isn’t that great?” </p><p>Silence. The world around Shuichi uttered pure silence as he processed what Kokichi said. The other children around him stopped laughing. The wind stopped it’s wayward journey, the air getting sickeningly still. He didn’t move, how could he when his limbs felt as if they were being held down. He wanted to face away from Kokichi but he couldn’t even turn his head. </p><p> “Really?” Shuichi mumbled, despite himself. </p><p>“KOKICHI STOP!” Kaede cried out. She knew about Shuichi’s father, his biological one at least. To her knowledge she, Kaito, and Maki were about the only ones that knew.</p><p>…</p><p>“Of course not!” Kokichi dramatically revealed. “Why would they let a dirty cop out of prison?” He callously mocked, breaking out into a devilish fit of laughter. </p><p>Kokichi barely even read that article. How could he with all the big words used? He didn’t care what Kenji Saihara did besides the fact he was “allegedly” caught on the wrong side of a mafia sting in the city. Once he read the name of the culprit he had to confirm if that wimpy Saihara at school knew the one in the news. Kokichi had his suspicions but he thought the odds of that being the case were slim to none. The dreadful scowl on Shuichi’s face was enough to tell him he ended up calling it perfectly. Kokichi couldn’t stop himself from laughing at the true absurdity of it all. </p><p>“S-Shuichi?” Keebo gently called to his friend who had slunk into an unmoving ball.</p><p>“How could you say something like that!?” Kaito demanded, his idle hands closing into deep fists. </p><p>“That was completely uncalled for Kokichi!” Kaede yelled before slumping down herself to check on Shuichi.</p><p>Cruel laughter cooled into inconsistent chuckles. Catching his breath, Kokichi turned around to see Maki behind him, blocking the bridge to their section of the play set. He really hated her ability to sneak up on him like that. He especially hated how she began stomping over towards him, angrier than he’s ever seen her before. </p><p>It was that exact moment when Kokichi realized he made a grave mistake. Shuichi’s friends all knew about dear old dad. He assumed the meek new kid wouldn’t have opened up so easily. A fatal miscalculation on Kokichi's part. His attempt to escape down the slide ended in a single step as Kaito quickly blocked the entryway. Keebo was confused but when Kaito told him to block Kokichi he knew to guard the mock rock climb up to their section. The troublemaker was effectively surrounded now.</p><p>“I-it was just a joke guys!” Kokichi foolishly reasoned, backing away from a still approaching Maki. </p><p>“Just a joke” echoed in Shuichi’s foggy brain. His fathers arrest was just a joke to Kokichi. A punchline to a joke with no real set up. Shuichi had to agree, getting ripped away from his only family no matter how crappy they were was hilarious. A textbook definition of comedy. </p><p>The silence returned to Shuichi’s ears. His vision became dark as he pushed Kaede away as he shot up from his fetal position. He smelled blood as he got to Kokichi before Maki could. He didn’t even feel the pain shoot into his hand as he punched Kokichi in the cheek. He tasted revenge for the first time his life with that punch and it was sweet. </p><p>Once the adrenaline died, Shuchi’s senses returned to him. The sweetness quickly turned bitter as he saw Kokichi on the floor, crying out in pain like a dying animal. He saw that everybody had halted their games and gossip at the sight of little quiet Shuichi decking Kokichi in the face. He saw the horror in Kaede’s and Keebo’s eyes. Kaito was shocked, but was clearly amused as he failed to keep a straight face. Maki looked proud, maybe a little jealous that she didn’t get to do the honor herself.</p><p>“Yeah, kill him Shuichi!” A shrill voice called out by the swings, Tenko screaming out her approval at watching that little weasel get his just deserves. She was immediately shushed by both Himiko and Angie as they watched intently on the ongoing drama. They don’t know what happened, they just knew Lundenburg had it coming.</p><p>Shuichi’s blood ran cold as he watched the playground monitor storm over to the commotion. </p><p>“What happened here?” The older lady demanded. Kokichi cried as he slipped past Kaito and tumbled down the slide. He fell to the monitors feet, tears falling all over her white loafers. </p><p>“Shu-Shuichi punched m-me in the faceeeeee.” Kokichi cried out. The monitor gasped as she watched the bruise on Kokichi’s cheek grow deeper in purple, matching his hair. </p><p>“Is this true young man?” She sternly asked the frozen child on the equipment. </p><p>“Kokichi started it!” Kaito desperately interrupted. “He made fun of Shuichi’s dad being in-” The boy was loudly hushed by Maki, shoving her hand over Kaito’s face.</p><p>“Don’t go yelling that out you idiot.” She harshly reminded Kaito.</p><p>“Go to the principal's office right now young man.” She ordered as she pulled out a walkie-talkie. Shuichi sighed, his own tears forming again. Shuichi knew he messed up big time now. As he slowly descended the playground equipment the scene played over in his head again. He knew he shouldn’t have punched Kokichi but how could he not? Shuichi can’t even recall punching his classmate. One second he was recoiling from what was just said to him. The next, he was standing over Kokichi while everyone stared at him like he just grew a third arm.</p><p>Shuichi paid no mind to the other kids as he commenced his walk of shame to punishment. He couldn’t care about the sympathetic stares Korikiyo, Kirumi, and Rantaro all shot him as he walked past them. He certainly left Miu hanging when she begged for a high five from the sulking Saihara as he climbed the short stairs into the school and towards his fate. As the outside door closed besides him the weight of the situation came crashing down on Shuichi.</p><p>Shuichi had been anything but a trouble maker thus far. He hadn’t even missed a single homework assignment yet, never been anything close to a disruption or nuisance. All of that goodwill was now gone with a single punch. And for what, a lie about his incarcerated father?</p><p>Shuichi reached the transparent door of the principal's office. He stopped cold in his tracks. Was he going to get expelled over this? The thought of leaving his new friends behind broke Shuichi, who shamefully wept again. The glass door cracked open.</p><p>“Saihara?” A raspy voice called out, the boy halting his cries for the moment, impressed at how quick words travel at this school. </p><p>“T-that’s me.” He tearfully confirmed.</p><p>“Please come in and have a seat, the principal will speak with you shortly.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was hoping to do this one in one part but that idea died the more I wrote. like the last chapters part 2 will be the concluding part and I can reveal now that yes Celestia will be introduced. I cannot thank you all enough for your support and I hope whoever's reading this has a fantastic day.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. As Cruel as School Children (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The waiting room outside Principal Munakata’s office felt as if it belonged in a hospital rather than an elementary school. The colorless walls and floors only made the still air feel that more sterile. The only noise came from the kind secretary sitting at her desk. The sound of fingers typing away on her computer keyboard provided only minuscule distraction for Shuichi as he simmered in his own thoughts. He was thankful when the secretary handed him a box of tissues and a waste basket when he first arrived, his panic fueled tears only recently subsiding as he sat by himself in a row of plastic chairs. </p><p>Shuichi had no clue what to expect now. Through his first two years of school he couldn’t recall any time he was scolded by a teacher for his behavior. No one ever bothered the quiet kid anyway. So to say he was prepared to speak one on one with his notoriously scary principal not even a month into his new school would be ridiculous. </p><p>The wooden door that led the principal’s office suddenly crept open, the slender silver haired man standing at the door with ice cold eyes. </p><p>“Saihara, may you please step inside my office.” He instructed. The boy only nodded as he slowly slumped through the door and to one of the two chairs in front of the large black desk in the bland room. As he made himself comfortable on the considerably softer seat Munataka walked behind his desk, his hands planting right onto his desk as he wordlessly eyeballed the nervous child in front of him. </p><p>“Hello Mr. Saihara.” Munataka greeted without a hint of actual emotion. “I’m sure I don’t need to explain to you why you’re here.” He stated.</p><p>“No sir.” Shuichi barked back. “Am I going to be expelled?” He asked with abundant worry. Munataka relaxed, slightly but his frown lost it’s intimidation. </p><p>“No, you will not be expelled today young man.” He assured Shuichi. “Not that you won’t face punishment for your outburst, but it’s my understanding that you’ve maintained a clean record up until today’s incident with Ludenberg. Am I correct?”</p><p>“Yes sir.” </p><p>Munataka faced his back to Shuichi as he stared out the large window facing the playground, his arms crossed behind his back.</p><p>“Can you please tell me everything that happened up to and proceeding the incident today.” Munataka asked.</p><p>Shuichi sighed. “Well, I met with Maki and Kaito by the slides like we always do.” He began to recount. “Kaede and Keebo joined us and we decided to play house. As we were sorting out our roles Kokichi walked over and then he…” Shuichi stopped himself. Munataka turned back around, brow raised in suspense. </p><p>“And then?” </p><p>“He uh. Said something to me and now I’m here.”</p><p>“And what was it that Kokichi said to you that made you hit him?” Munataka asked after a brief, tense pause.</p><p>Shuichi remained lock-lipped as the principal stared him down. It was bad enough that Kokichi found out about his father, Shuichi didn’t want anyone else at school finding out. None of his other classmates needed to know, even if he could count the classmates that were related to friends of his guardians with two hands. He certainly didn’t need pity from Ms. Yukizome or Principal Munataka. One quick look at the principal made Shuichi think he wouldn’t get that from him even if he wanted it.</p><p>“Well?” Mr. Munataka coldly asked, his patience draining. </p><p>“… I don’t want to say.” Shuichi whispered before slinking his head down.</p><p>Shuichi didn’t have to wonder what Mr. Munataka was thinking, his frustrated sigh saying more than words could. He turned back to the window, remaining statue-like as he mulled over his options. </p><p>“You may go back out to the waiting room, Saihara.” He ordered without hiding his annoyance. Shuichi wasted no time in leaving, before stopping dead in his tracks as he saw Kokichi sitting in the waiting room absentmindedly. He kept a large ice pack pressed on his cheek as he mindlessly watched the clock. He looked back at Shuichi and smiled, acting as if he wasn’t assaulted by this same boy twenty minutes ago. </p><p>Kokichi was very familiar with his visits to the principals’ office, jumping off from his seat and waltzing over to the office before receiving any instructions. He winked at Shuichi as he shut the door behind him.<br/>
—-</p><p>Shuichi waited anxiously as he stared intently at the wooden door. Kokichi was still talking with the principal, providing his likely fictitious account of the event. Shuichi couldn’t make out what either were saying but their sheer volume alone gave a small clue as to how that conversation was going. How Kokichi didn’t falter while speaking to Mr. Munataka was beyond Shuichi’s understanding. </p><p>After five long minutes in the room the loud bickering ceased, the wooden door swinging open as Kokichi happily waltzed back to his previous seat. Munataka angrily mumbled to himself as he followed his student, shutting the door closed behind him before walking over to the transparent door back out to the school. </p><p>“Since neither of you want to tell me what happened I’ll just find out myself.” Munataka declared out loud, glaring at the boys as they both sat awkwardly in their seats. “Stay here until I get back, I don’t anticipate this taking too long.” And with that, Munataka bitterly left, his angry mumbling still audible from the hallway.</p><p>Tension flooded the waiting room now as Kokichi and Shuichi were separated by only four chairs. As little as Shuichi wanted to actually interact with Kokichi, he had too many questions that this jerk had to answer to now.</p><p>“Why did you say that Kokichi?” Shuichi blurted out, “How do you know about my father?”</p><p>A small chuckle broke the silence, a laugh that lacked any humor. </p><p>“I’m surprised more people don’t already know.” Kokichi responded. “It’s all over the news you know.”</p><p>Shuichi groaned. He didn’t know many other children that actively kept up with current events but he had a feeling he’d run into one eventually. He hoped that moment would have been a nice little realization with a friend as they revel in their shared interests of barely understanding the world around them. Leave it to Kokichi to dash that dream. </p><p>“Though if I can be honest for a moment, I didn’t actually think that Saihara was related to you at all. No less a parent.” Kokichi admitted with a flavor of embarrassment. </p><p>“You could have asked me directly!” Shuichi cried out. “What’s wrong with you!?”. The boys were shushed by the secretary who watched them like a hawk as her rapid fire typing had yet to stop. Shuichi glared at Kokichi who smiled sweetly. </p><p>“If I asked you directly you would have lied.” Kokichi whispered. “Tell me I’m wrong.” Kokichi couldn’t help but giggle as Shuichi’s following silence gave him his answer. The last thing Shuichi was going to do was admit to Kokichi that he was right about anything. </p><p>“See? Look I’ll admit I went too far earlier but I’m not stupid.” </p><p>“Could have fooled me.” Shuichi spat coldly. </p><p>“Ouch. I guess I earned that one.” Kokichi stared at his classmate with a sudden seriousness. “What was he like? If you don’t mind me asking.”</p><p>Shuichi was caught off guard by the sudden softness of the boy who bullied him not even an hour ago. He wasn’t going to lower his guard so easily. </p><p>“Why do you care?” </p><p>“I don’t. You’re just lucky you know who yours is. No matter how amazing or crummy he may be at least you’ve met him.” </p><p>Kokichi made no attempt to mask his bitterness. For a moment the chaotic gleam ever present in his eyes faded. For the first time today Kokichi seemed to be genuine, which scared Shuichi even more. He did admit though, if now was the time Kokichi decided to tell the truth it would explain a lot. Too much even.</p><p>“But none of that matters for you though.” The gleam returned in Kokichi’s irises, his bitterness abandoned in favor of smug satisfaction. As Kokichi grinned at him he reminded Shuichi of a certain supermodel much to his discomfort. “It’s your new mommy and daddies you should be worried about. I’m sure they’re on their way as we speak. I’m sure they were expecting to get a phone call about you getting into a fight at school and are totally prepared to handle the situation!”</p><p>And there Kokichi goes, reverting back to his gremlin-self after giving Shuichi an unreliable sneak peek into his personal life. He did have a point though. Shuichi was trying to avoid thinking about the inevitable meeting with his guardians about this. In fact the dread of it was eating the poor boy alive. He was not going to give Kokichi the pleasure of showing weakness to him.</p><p>“After such a heinous attack on an unsuspecting student, I’d have to say no TV for at least a week. NO. A month. I’d kiss your weekends goodbye too.” Kokichi rattled off, sounding almost too familiar with the grounding process. </p><p>Despite Shuichi’s every attempt to save face, he couldn’t help himself from trembling in his seat. </p><p>“What’s wrong Shuichi? Have you never been grounded before? Man you really are a goody two-shoes.” Kokichi mocked. “I can only imagine how disappointed they all must be right now.”</p><p>Was this revenge for the punch Shuichi wondered. It must be, as Shuichi’s mind filled in the blanks with what Koichi meant. Would his new parents look at him the same after this? Would they think of him as a powder keg just waiting to explode all over again. Such a child would be a handful to deal with. Even grounds for Shuichi getting sent back to his aunt perhaps? Who’s to say she wouldn’t just put him in a new home again?</p><p>“Shuichi?” A familiar husky voice called out, silencing Shuichi’s rapid mental spiral. His blood ran cold as he realized Hinata was here in a twist of impeccable timing. Hinata didn’t look angry, not even grumpy but he certainly forced an authoritative presence right now. </p><p>“H-hi.” Shuichi weakly responded. He didn’t move his body an inch as his anxiety was getting worse by the second. He could hear Hinata’s footsteps on the squeaky clean tile floor. The closer the steps got, the closer Shuichi was to boiling over<br/>
A large shadow cast over Shuichi, the boy reluctantly opening his eyes to see Hinata standing over him now. Neither person said a word, Kokichi staring at the scene playing out with increasing amusement. That amusement quickly turned into shock as Shuichi already looked as if he was going to break down. Staring into his foster father’s eyes, Shuichi’s sudden fears of being unwanted were too heavy to take. His shame was unbearable now that he had to face his family. </p><p>Shuichi shut his eyes, using every ounce of his being to hold back his tears. The steps had finally ceased, Hinata now standing barely a foot away from his son. </p><p>“Care to explain what happened today?” Hinata asked, sounding more confused than mad. It didn’t really matter what Hinata said to him, Shuichi only needed his to hear his voice to boil over. Shuichi didn’t want to lose everything because of a stupid mistake. He practically jumped into Hinata’s arms as he found himself unable to stop his sobs. Hinata didn’t let go of the crying boy as he slumped down to his knees. He took this as Shuichi admitting his guilt.<br/>
Kokichi sat back watching the show with a smirk. He thought Shuichi was taking a page from his book with crocodile tears. He would have been proud if that was the case. Alas that was far from the truth, Saihara’s sobs going strong for several minutes as his dad held him. “Man, he really is a crybaby,” Kokichi thought to himself.</p><p>“Please don’t send me back.” Shuichi pleaded once he caught his breath much to Hinata’s confusion. “I’ll never get in trouble again I promise!” He pleaded. </p><p>Hinata’s heart broke as he wiped Shuichi’s tears away. “We’re not going anywhere Shuichi.” Hinata promised. “Look, I still don’t know what’s going on but you’re not going to be abandoned for making a mistake.”</p><p>His cries died down as he felt assured by Hinata who then reminded Shuichi of his breathing exercise. As the boy slowly inhaled and exhaled he felt silly as to worry that he’d be sent away for all of this. He still felt the dread of his punishment as he refused to let go of his guardian. </p><p>The transparent door opened back up, Principal Munakata returning back from the playground. His gaze shifted immediately to the Ludenberg boy, the principal unable to stop himself from glaring at the problem child. He knew the punch wasn’t random, and after speaking with the children who witnessed the assault he knew both boys were at fault here. It’d be helpful if any of the children had told him what Kokichi said to Shuichi. </p><p>Kokichi noticed Munakata staring at him and grinned at his favorite principal with utmost callousness. Munakata rolled his eyes before turning his attention to the sniffling Saihara clinging to a young man with familiar spiky brown hair. </p><p>“Wait a second.” Munataka mumbled to himself, a name pairing with the familiar face. </p><p>“Hajime Hinata is that you?” He asked out loud, the crouching man’s eyebrows raising as he knew exactly who just walked in. </p><p>“Hello Munakata.” Hinata politely greeted as Shuichi finally let go, walking over to the secretary for a tissue for his runny nose. “Funny seeing you here. Can you please tell me what’s going on now please.” He asked.</p><p>Munakata sighed before motioning to his office. “I’ll bring you up to speed, I think I have a good idea on what happened.” His eyes wandered between the bored Ludenberg boy and the clearly frazzled Saihara before turning around to his desk. Hinata closed the door behind him as he followed the principal.</p><p>—</p><p>As Shuichi wiped the snot off his face, he couldn’t help but notice a distinctly goth woman staring him down as she curtly walked into the waiting room towards him by the secretary’s desk. The woman had on a black and red Lolita style dress that came down to her knees. Her tall boots and leggings matched the color of her dress, her hands and ears adorned with the finest jewelry. </p><p>“Good morning Sano-san.” The goth woman eloquently greeted as she immediately signed in, far familiar with this process.</p><p>“Ah good morning Celestia, never a dull moment with the little guy huh?” The secretary joked, the Celestia woman giving a polite laugh that lacked any sincerity. </p><p>“You can say something like that, yes.” Before she could finish writing down the date, her balance was compromised as something wrapped itself on her legs. </p><p>“Mommmmmyyyyyyyy'' Kokichi cried out as he clung onto his mother’s legs. “He punched me in the face for NO REASON! He’s a mad man!” He pointed at Shuichi as his insincere tears continued. The woman sighed before plastering a sweet smile on her pale face. Shuichi for his part shuffled his way back to the row of chairs, Kokichi’s mother possessing a scary energy as she turned to her son and recoiled from the sizable bruise on his face. </p><p>“Oh my goodness you’re not kidding my dear.” Celestia gasped. She looked back at the retreating child, piecing together this boy to be the culprit of Kokichi’s new shiner. This same boy who looked as if he’s about to pass out any second now as she locks eyes with him. She sees fear in Shuichi’s eyes, but no aggression. Exactly the kind of child known to snap and beat up classmates with no reason behind their wrath, right?</p><p>“Why did he punch you dear?” Celestia gently asked her son, her assessment of this other child giving her a solid idea of what could have happened. </p><p>“I told you, he just walked up and struck me for no reason!” Kokichi pleaded. Celestia smiled at her son. A smile that one would mistake for sweet and loving. Kokichi knew the danger as his newly formed sweat ran cold. </p><p>“Kokichi honey.” Celestia carried a stern warning in her voice. She knew better than anyone when her own flesh and blood was lying. “Tell me the truth.” </p><p>Kokichi sighed in defeat. As much as he wanted to drag this out and stall for time he knew he dug himself a grave. He should have known better than to say Shuichi’s attack was unprompted. </p><p>“I told him a joke.” Kokichi spat out. Celestia’s expression remained the same as she tilted her head oh so slightly.</p><p>“Oh? What kind of joke?” Celestia curtly asked, turning back to the boy avoiding eye contact as he sat on the edge of his seat. </p><p>“All I said was “Hey Shuichi, how do you leave an idiot in suspense?””</p><p>“I wasn’t asking you.” Celestia barked at her son before closing her eyes and running her hand through her short black hair. She stood up and stepped closer to Shuichi.</p><p>“Shuichi is it?” Celestia confirmed as she regained her composure. “Can you please tell me what it is Kokichi said to you that provoked you.”</p><p>“Um.” Shuichi hummed. Not even ten minutes ago he was getting daggers stared at him by Principal Munataka and he couldn’t bring himself to repeat Kokichi’s cruel words at him. Parents are different though. Ms. Ludenberg managed to be just as scary as the stoic principal with a smile on her face. </p><p>“Well. I was playing on the jungle gym when Kokichi walked up to me.” Shuichi started, his chest already feeling tighter. ““Haven’t you heard the news, your father’s getting released from prison today!” He told me.” Shuichi revealed, panic slowly brewing inside him yet again. Celestia’s face dropped as she listened, Kokichi glaring threateningly at Shuichi by this point. </p><p>“I asked him if it was true.” Shuichi’s head lowered in shame. ““Of course not! Why would they let a dirty cop out of prison.”” Shuichi’s impression of the troublemaker tapered off as he spoke, his eyes glued to the floor. </p><p>“He’s lying!” Kokichi lamely pleaded.</p><p>Celestia crouched over to Shuichi, her regal demeanor masking her quickly burning horror. “Is this true?” She asked as gently as she could. Shuichi meekly nodded his head, Celestia looking back at her son with a quietly threatening look on her face. Of course Kokichi couldn’t lie his way out of this one, he knew damn well he was backed into a corner now. </p><p>His timing perfect as ever, Principal Munataka emerged from his office, coming face to face with the one parent he sees the most.</p><p>“Good to see you again, Ludenberg.” Munataka greeted sarcastically. “Do you need to catch up with what’s going on?” </p><p>Celestia spun around and shook the principal's hand. “Not necessary dear, thank you though.”</p><p>Munataka raised an eyebrow as Hinata walked past him, planting himself right next to Shuichi on a neighboring chair. Celestia turned back around to Shuichi as she crouched down to his level. </p><p>“Shuichi sweetie can you please tell Principal Munataka what you told me.” She asked, using all of her willpower to stop herself from dragging Kokichi by the ear all the way home this very instance. </p><p>“Why’s it matter, he’s spewing bullshit anyways.” Kokichi pouted.</p><p>“Language young man.” Munataka chastised before turning his attention to Saihara as well. “And what is it that you revealed to Ms. Ludenberg?”</p><p>Shuichi sighed, Hinata placing an assuring hand over his which gave the boy the necessary strength he needed. He looked at Kokichi and saw him drowning in dread, not that Shuichi cared.</p><p> As he once more repeated what sparked the fight, Munataka’s face fell into his hands out of frustration. Hinata moved his hand over to Shuichi’s shoulders, bringing his son into another much needed embrace. Munataka lowered his hands and faced Kokichi with an authoritative frown. Shuichi’s story added up with the other children's testimonies. </p><p>“Is this true Kokichi? I’d advise you to carefully choose your next choice of words.” The principal warned. </p><p>Tears of frustration ran down Kokichi’s cheek, but he wasn’t going to break now. He was desperately trying to come up with any last ditch excuse, anything that could get the blame back onto Shuichi. He was the one who hit him in the first place. Why isn’t he getting the heat of this grilling? All he said was a stupid joke!</p><p>“It was supposed to be a joke, how was I supposed to know Shuichi would be a crybaby about his dad?” Kokichi whispered in defeat. </p><p>Munataka stayed silent as he remained lost in thought. </p><p>“Saihara.” The principal boomed. “These claims about your father, are they true?”</p><p>“They are. He’s been staying with my partners and I since June.” Hinata answered for his son. </p><p>Munataka closed his mouth again, his eyes doing the same as he figured out how to handle this situation. He had new found clarity as to why Shuichi wasn’t eager to share what happened earlier, frankly he understood completely. Even so, Munataka had little patience for mindless violence. His eyes opened back up and looked back at the slumping boy in his guardians arms. </p><p>“I think I have the full picture now. Saihara, as much as I do empathize with your situation I cannot excuse any fighting on school grounds.” Shuichi’s heart sank into his stomach, but he remained like a statue as he learned of his fate. “Two days In School Suspension starting tomorrow for you.” </p><p>Shuichi… Actually felt relieved after hearing his punishment? Sure the idea of being suspended didn’t sound fun but only two days? Munataka turned back around at the grinning now grinning Ludenberg clinging to his mothers legs. He was ready to wipe that smirk off his face.</p><p>“Ludenberg I’m giving you three days of I.S.S.” He announced.</p><p>“WHAT!?” Kokichi screamed. “Shuichi punched me in the face. Why did I get suspended worse than him?!” </p><p>“Because this entire situation would have been avoided if you kept your little “joke” to yourself young man. People’s private issues, particularly ones regarding potentially traumatic subjects are not to be made into punchlines. This isn’t even the first time you’ve aggravated a classmate Mr. Ludenberg, repeated offenses stack up. I hope this the last time I see you because of it. Do you understand me?”</p><p>Kokichi pouted defiantly, “Yes sir.” He resigned, holding back every desire to instigate the principal and prove his very point. </p><p>“Good. Now I believe that solves this. All of you may go home for the rest of the day, you can make up your classwork tomorrow. Come back to my office in the morning and I’ll show you to where you’ll be spending your suspensions. Any further questions?” </p><p>“No sir.” Both boys answered.</p><p>—</p><p>Shuichi sighed in relief as he walked behind Hinata through the main doors with his backpack slung over his shoulders. Apparently Hinata also knew Ms. Yukizome from high school and spent 10 boring minutes catching up when Shuichi returned to his classroom to get his backpack. At least Ms. Yukizome sounded sympathetic when she found out what happened.</p><p>Shuichi suddenly walked right into his guardian's legs, noticing a scowling Kokichi waiting outside by the front entrance with his doll-like mother.    </p><p>“Can I help you?” Hinata calmly asked.</p><p>“Why yes actually, I believe there’s something Kokichi would like to say to your son.” Celestia spoke as she nudged her own child towards Shuichi. Kokichi wore a mask of forlorn sorrow as he approached, a ruse Shuichi was almost offended by. Did Kokichi really think he’d fall for such an obvious lie?</p><p>“Shuichi, I… I’m sorry.” Kokichi spat out after trembling on his tongue.</p><p>“You’re sorry for what?” Celestia prodded.</p><p>“I’m sorry for saying your father was getting out of jail.” Kokichi mumbled.</p><p>Shuichi sighed. There was a part of him that didn’t want to forgive him. He figured everyone would understand him for telling Kokichi to take his apology and shove it, but Shuichi thought about what either one of Hinata, Nanami, and Komaeda would do in this situation. Despite his better judgment Shuichi found forgiveness in his heart. “And I’m sorry for punching you in the cheek.” He resigned. </p><p>“You’re just lucky you missed my eye, Cryhara.” Kokichi scoffed, his alleged guilt vanishing by a flip of a switch replaced with ill timed smugness.  </p><p>“Oh for God sakes.” Celestia groaned as she grabbed Kokichi’s arm a little too aggressively for Hinata’s liking. </p><p>“I apologize for my sons lack of common decency.” She addressed Hinata. “I warned him about being nice to his classmates to avoid this exact situation and clearly I was unwise as to think he’d listen to me. I suppose we all have to learn the hard way sometimes though.” Kokichi winced as he felt the heat of his mothers wrath. She was definitely right, but pushing people’s buttons was just too fun for him what he could say.</p><p> “I think today is a great learning experience for everyone.” Hinata sighed. “Besides, kids can be cruel little terrors sure but all they need is a little guidance and a good example.”</p><p>Celestia cocked her head slightly as she smiled sweetly. “I agree. Perhaps in the future we can all look back at this and laugh.” Shuichi glanced at Kokichi and shuttered. Could this little troll really be someone Shuichi would call a friend? </p><p>Celestia sighed. “I do wish we could have met on more positive terms but alas this was the hand we were dealt.”</p><p>Hinata chuckled nervously. “Trust me, I’ve definitely had worse first impressions before.” He instinctively remembered the day he met his boyfriend and his chuckle became more genuine. “Honestly I can’t believe Munataka of all people is a principal now. I knew him back in high school, I really can’t say he’s changed.”</p><p>Celestia hummed. “I can’t say I’m shocked.” She sarcastically remarked. “Now if you may excuse us, I believe someone has a house he gets to clean all by himself we must return to. May the next time we meet be under positive circumstances.” And with that, Celestia turned around with her son in hand and elegantly made her back to her car. </p><p>“Bye Shuichi!” Kokichi waved with his free arm as his mother pulled him along. He knew he may as well be waving goodbye to his freedom for the foreseeable future.</p><p>Shuichi reluctantly waved back for a second before looking up at Hinata. “So, now what?” </p><p>“Well, since you and I both missed lunch I was thinking we could go fix that problem.” Hinata smiled. “Somewhere we can sit down and talk about what happened, how does that sound?”</p><p>“Sounds like a good plan.” Shuichi cheerfully exclaimed. Today was far from what anybody had expected, exhausting beyond comparison. Through it all, Shuichi felt as if he did learn something at least. Even if “don’t punch your classmate even if he has it coming” was something he had no need to be explained.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Is Celestia a little too nice in this? Probably but I was trying go for a "parent who's tired of their child's shit" vibe with her. Next time I post on this story expect a chapter or two dedicated to the triad themselves. As always, thank you so much for your support, I hit 100+ kudos and I'm glad you're all enjoying the story so far. Thank you again and I hope you have a great day.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Open Hearts and Minds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hajime is presented with a sudden proposition from Makoto one sudden morning. A life changing proposition at that.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“… With all that said Makoto, when I said I owed you big time babysitting isn’t quite what I had in mind.” Hajime Hinata snapped, his head leaning as far back into his seat as allowed as he spoke into his phone. </p><p>“Well don’t you still work for Junko? It’ll be like that but easier.” Makoto dryly responded.  </p><p>“Touche.” Hajime chuckled. </p><p>“I’m not oblivious to the weight of what I’m asking you, Hajime.” Makoto sighed. “I wish we could have him stay with us and have that be the end of this…”</p><p>“But when it rains, it floods.” Hajime hummed. “Look I’m flattered that I’m number one on your shortlist for this. It’s assuring that you have that level of trust in me. But you keep dodging the question when I ask how long you think your nephew would be staying with us.”</p><p>Makoto stayed eerily silent. “We… We can discuss that later. If you know for sure you want to do this.”</p><p>“Let me talk to the mister and misses first before we move any further with this.” Hajime sighed.</p><p>“O-of course man! Take as much time as you need to sort out your options.” Makoto awkwardly assured as he flopped onto his sofa. “I can’t thank you enough for even considering it.”</p><p>“Hopefully I won’t keep you waiting too long with my answer though. I’ll touch back with you once we figure it out.” With that and an exchange of brief departing words, the phone call was disconnected. Hajime exhaled deeply, his mind still wrapping itself around the nearly hour long conversation he just had.</p><p>Hajime felt a great deal of sympathy towards his longtime friends. From his understanding Kyoko’s relationship with her half brother was not a steady one, the two going many months between contact with one another in the past. That wouldn’t make the news of his disgraceful double-life and conjoined arrest none the less devastating. Clearly she still had the type of relationship where she was the only person her brother trusted with his own child. </p><p>Hajime turned around in his chair, staring back at the assorted photos on the wall behind his desk. He focused on a particular picture of he and his partners all huddled together on the beach during a group outing a few years back. Nagito was grinning ear to ear despite the clear sunburn forming on his back. Hajime was kissing his left cheek, while Chiaki was kissing his right. He smiled as he remembered that day fondly. </p><p>He thought about how peaceful his life has been since he began sharing it with Nagito and Chiaki. He remembered the fun days spent at beaches and at parties with each other and their loved ones. The slow nights spent sitting on the couch together watching bad horror movies or getting destroyed by Chiaki at the newest video game she bought. The impulsive adventures out of town revisiting cherished memories of old and creating unforgettable moments of new. Was this a life Hajime could have with a child in tow? </p><p>He turned back around and grabbed his phone, thumbing his way over to his messenger app.  </p><p>“Hey, can you both meet me in my office? Something big came up.”</p><p>Hajime stared at the screen as he watched his message get marked “read” by one of his partners. It took Nagito only seconds to reply.</p><p>“Define “something big” ;)” </p><p>“This is serious.” </p><p>Hajime frowned, not ignoring Chiaki opening the message in record time for her. The sound of dragging steps on the carpet outside caught Hajime’s attention. A pale hand pushed the already opened door further out of the way. Nagito slowly stepped into the office, his unkempt white hair sticking all over the place in a tangled heap. His deep yawn and lack of clothes save for his old Hope’s Peak shorts further pushed the point that he had just gotten out of bed. Nagito brushed his bangs out of his eyes, smiling softly as he saw Hajime was as adorably grumpy as always. Hajime in turn greeted him with smile that tried to forget about Nagito’s dumb message not even a minute ago. </p><p>“Good morning dear.” Nagito beamed, grabbing his boyfriend as the two shared a brief kiss. As their lips departed they noticed another set of footsteps approaching the office, Chiaki’s grand entrance coming in the form of her own yawn that put Nagito’s to shame. She was already out of bed by the time Hajime woke up. For how long he didn’t know but Chiaki looked like she was ready to go back to bed with the bags under her eyes looking heavier than usual. She was clad in her oversized pink sweater and worn out black sweatpants. She wore deep concern as she walked into Hajime’s office, only relaxing ever so slightly upon reaching her boyfriends.</p><p>“Good morning guys.” Sleepiness oozed out of Chiaki’s voice as she greeted the two with a quick kiss of her own before deciding to address the elephant in the room.</p><p>“Care to elaborate your text?” Chiaki inferred. Nagito let go of Hajime, finding a seat on the edge of the large desk as Chiaki stood in front. Hajime sighed as he sat back down in his chair.</p><p>Hajime cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well. I just got off the phone with Makoto and long story short, Kyoko has a nephew that needs a place to stay for the time being and they were seeing if we were willing to watch him.” Hajime studied his lover's faces as he broke the news, being met with more than a little surprise. </p><p>Chiaki looked relieved until Hajime’s words fully sunk in. Nagito just looked down at the ground, clearly lost in thought. The room was eerily silent, an awkward silence that carried on for only a minute before Nagito piped up.</p><p>“I can’t deny that someone as lowly as me feels honored to have even been considered for a responsibility as great as this.” Hajime rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's self-deprecation. ““For the time being” though? How long were they intending for us to watch him?”</p><p>Hajime thought back to his phone call before responding sheepishly “… Makoto didn’t specify.” Chiaki and Nagito looked at one another gathering implications. Nagito spoke up again.</p><p>“Why exactly can’t Makoto and Kyoko watch their own nephew?” Nagito tried to not sound accusatory as he was sure there had to be a good reason but only Hajime had any idea what was going on.</p><p>“Well, it sounds like they just want to give the kid somewhere stable to stay as they deal with his father’s inevitable trial.” Hajime answered. “Plus they don’t exactly have space for a third person in that tiny apartment they have downtown. I think it makes sense.” Nagito hummed as he took in Hajime’s explanation. </p><p>“So it’ll almost be like fostering a dog?” Hajime couldn’t tell what he hated more, Nagito’s inappropriate analogy or the fact it wasn’t completely incorrect. Chiaki groaned before laughing to herself. “And like fostering, we can’t ignore the chance of this turning into the kids forever home then, huh?” Nagito chuckled as he looked at his partners. Hajime was too busy pinching the bridge of his nose to dignify a response. It was Chiaki’s turn to speak up.</p><p>“Comparing watching a child to pet ownership aside, let’s not jump to that assumption just yet. We should still sort out if this is something we actually want to do.” Chiaki shifted her gaze over to Hajime, “There’s still a lot more we need to know before we can conclude anything. Firstly, what’s his nephew’s name?”</p><p>“Shuichi. His name is Shuichi Saihara. He’s six years old. According to Makoto he’s immensely bright for his age but is also very shy.” Makoto wasn’t afraid to praise his nephew to Hajime. Hajime had no reason to think he was being lied to, but he still had to see the child's behavior for himself before making any assumptions.  </p><p>“Only six years old… How unlucky of him.” Nagito mumbled to himself as he looked lost in thought again. Hajime and Chiaki could guess what was on his mind right now. Nagito looked up and chuckled softly. </p><p>“I know you’re both thinking it too.” Nagito said with a forced smile. “And to answer your questions, yes I’m concerned about my luck cycl-”</p><p>“We’ve been over this honey” It was Chiaki who interrupted this time, putting her hand over the luckster’s as she kept her gentle demeanor.</p><p>“Tell me what horrible luck has affected us since me and Hajime moved in? Since we graduated from Hope’s Peak for that matter?” Nagito wanted to interject but Chiaki stopped him with a small peck on the mouth, silencing him even after their lips parted. Deep down he knew she was right even if he hated to admit it.</p><p>“Even if you still have a cycle of luck, it’s been minuscule events at worst. You have nothing to worry about Nagito. Your presence is anything but a bad omen.” Chiaki took the words right out of Hajime’s mouth as he listened to his girlfriend calm their boyfriend before Nagito had a chance to spiral. Nagito was again silent, embarrassed more than anything else as he calmed down. A more reasonable question rose out of his mind as he composed himself.</p><p>“Where would Shuichi even sleep?” Nagito plainly asked.</p><p>“Well, the couch downstairs would make do in the short term…” Hajime responded.</p><p>“He could also use the futon in my den too if he wanted.” Chiaki offered. </p><p>“But in the event this isn’t short term?” Nagito shot back.</p><p>The triad had moved into Nagito’s childhood home after they finished college, both of the spare bedrooms being converted into work spaces for Chiaki and Hajime. “I guess if we had to he could take the guest room.” Nagito suggested. </p><p>Chiaki raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You mean the guest house above the garage?” She prodded, unsure as to why Nagito would offer to move a child into the garage like he was an animal. Normally the guest house was used as Nagito’s own personal space, a place where he keeps all of his on and off again hobbies in one confined space. It’s gained even more use during the semi-frequent social gatherings the triad host with their sizable home. </p><p>Nagito wiped the sleep from his eyes, groaning slightly. “It was just an idea. I’m sure you’d have no issue moving all your game consoles up to the attic then?” </p><p>“It would make the most sense if Shuichi took my office in that event.” Hajime butted in, not wanting anything to escalate. “I could move my desk down to the reading room, there’s enough space.” He couldn’t help but look at Nagito while speaking “It’d be harder to get distracted when I’m actually working. Unless someone would want to hang out in the basement with me.” Nagito stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend and pouted slightly, much to everyone else’s amusement. Nagito didn’t break however, keeping his gaze on Hajime.</p><p>“We still need clarification from Makoto and Kyoko by how long we would be having Shuichi stay with us. We should all sit down and discuss this soon but if they don’t intend on taking the kid back I just want to know.”</p><p>“What makes you think my cousin is just dumping this kid on us?” Hajime asked, even if he did agree with his boyfriend. Nagito found his boyfriend's statement to be quite hilariously native.</p><p>“Tcht, come on Hajime he couldn’t give you an answer earlier, that’s always a surefire way to know that this arrangement will be temporary!” </p><p>Hajime looked over at Chiaki for an idea what to say, but she only offered a shrug. </p><p>“Not that I would be opposed to him staying here of course, the hope and optimism within children is inspiring and I do believe the three of us can only nurture that!” Nagito got increasingly excited while speaking, but caught himself again. </p><p>“Never too early to get on about hope, huh?” Hajime thought to himself. He was too focused on one thing Nagito just said to make his teasing open.</p><p>“You really think the three of us could be good for this kid?” Hajime asked, surprised with Nagito’s confidence. </p><p>Nagito beamed, a smile that warmed the hearts of both Hajime and Chiaki. “It’s more confidence in you and Chiaki than anything. Even if the kid hates me I can sleep well knowing that he’s in a good home.” There went Hajime’s surprise, which lasted about as long as he thought it would. The grumpy man sighed then embraced his boyfriend, who nuzzling him softly. The display of affection caught Nagito off guard, not that he was going to fight it either. He felt a reassuring hand massaging his back from Chiaki, who joined in to comfort him again. </p><p>“I think you’d be a great role model. You always sound so optimistic when we’ve talked about having kids of our own before. I know you’d give anything for those you love, as we would for you.” Hajime shifted his gaze over to his girlfriend, who smiled sweetly at him. “That goes for all of us, this honestly could be a great opportunity for all of us.” </p><p>“Just remember, there’s no guaranteeing that this will be a permanent arrangement.” Chiaki added in, shifting herself to get fully between her boyfriends. “But no matter what happens, I know we will do our best.” </p><p>Hajime was in disbelief with how quickly both his partners were on board with this. He reminded himself that there were no promises with the permanence of the situation, but he was ready for any way this opportunity could go. At worst he’s helping out Makoto and Kyoko for a few weeks. Perhaps Shuichi was as well behaved and easy to deal with as Makoto assured. </p><p>“So, are we all on board with this?” </p><p>“I think so, yeah.”</p><p>“How can I say no?”</p><p>The triad all shared the same feeling of aloof joy within themselves as they embraced one another, scattered kisses and laughter shared amongst the three.   </p><p>“You should call Makoto back soon.” Chiaki pointed out, bringing everyone back to the moment. “We could meet over lunch tomorrow, I think. You and Nagi are free tomorrow, right?”</p><p>“I’m available.” Hajime affirmed. Sure, Junko has a photo shoot tomorrow but he didn’t have to guess if she would care if he was late for it. Hell he could ditch it altogether and Junko wouldn’t care. Not that he would do such a careless act of apathy towards his livelihood of course. Hajime was willing to bet on his client doing something self destructive and idiotic for the sake of curing her boredom if he did pull a no show.   </p><p>“I know just the place we could go too!” Nagito suggested. “We can go to that cafe by the arcade, we always talk about going there but never do.”</p><p>“Oh that’d be perfect!” Chiaki cheerfully agreed. “Who knows, maybe we could go to the arcade together after our meeting.”</p><p>“Hell, if Shuichi comes with I’m sure he’d like to go.” Hajime suggested. Chiaki’s excitement only grew at that prospect, her grin growing by the second as she thought about taking the kid to her own little piece of heaven. For Hajime the arcade seems like a natural way for Shuichi to open up at his own pace if he chooses to. A place to set a good first impression.</p><p>——</p><p>Makoto Naegi couldn’t help himself from pacing his seemingly shrinking apartment. Kyoko had Shuichi with her to an impromptu visit to the zoo with Makoto’s sister Komaru, a much needed distraction for everybody involved. The last thing either of them wanted was Shuichi potentially listening in to the phone calls Makoto would be making today and get any wrong impressions about their intent. Makoto laughed nervously as he imagined Shuichi snooping in on him crying over the phone as Hajime tried to calm him down on the other line. The zoo is a fun distraction though. A kid should get to stare intently at some elephants and not worry about the absolute shit storm their life has become for reasons outside their own control.</p><p>No one could say Makoto wasn’t trying his best. He wanted to make sure Shuichi was getting the best care he could get. Hajime was the one telling Makoto about his triad's desire for kids at some point so Makoto felt assured that his reasoning for asking his friend wasn’t unfounded. At the very least they could watch him until he and Kyoko could get off their lease. In another year.</p><p>Makoto exhaled deep enough to force out a cough. He feebly stared out the window taking in the view of the city around him. A view he normally cherished suddenly felt like a disorientating obstacle. </p><p>The subtle buzzing in Makoto’s pocket nearly gave him a heart attack. He lost his grip as he pulled his phone out, frantically picking the phone up off the floor. The caller ID read “Hajime”, a welcome if unexpectedly soon sight. As Makoto brought his phone to his ear his tensing muscles unclenched as he suppressed a cry of joy when Hajime gave him the good news. </p><p>“And Kyoko was afraid he’d say no.” Makoto thought to himself. Makoto knew he now had to explain everything to Shuichi in what was sure to be a fun conversation. Uncomfortable realities could wait though. Savoring the smallest of victories was appropriate after the hellish 72 hours Makoto’s gone through. He just hoped Shuichi would see it that way.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope it's been clear about when these chapters occur within one another. </p><p>I was sitting on this chapter for at least four months before recently coming back and FINALLY finishing it. As always thank you so much for your support and any and all feedback is always appreciated! As for what to expect next it's a bit of a mystery. Though I will promise more time spent on Shuichi making friends with his fellow v3 cast mates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Playdate with Destiny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pursuded into following through with Junko's offer of a playdate with her daughter, Shuichi is reminded why he doesn't talk to kids his age.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shuichi stared up at the imposing skyscraper in total awe. He knew Junko Enoshima as someone who considers herself of high social standing but this was the tallest building in the city. Even he was aware of the lack of subtlety. Shuichi felt his nerve abandoning him as he continued to gawk at the tower in front of him. He’d be lying if he said he was looking forward to being around the notorious supermodel again, even if Hinata promised that she’d be too busy to torment him today. Like that promise was supposed to comfort him in the first place. </p><p>Shuichi reminded himself of the play date he cautiously agreed to. Hinata insisted Junko’s daughter Tsumugi was an apple that fell far from the tree. Their only true bond coming in the form of a shared passion for fashion. Even then that comes with an asterisk as Tsumugi cared little for the beauty industry her mother reshaped.</p><p>Shuichi didn’t really care what hobby’s the younger Enoshima reveled in, as long as she didn’t intimidate him by her mere existence. The child stared away from the tall building and to his foster father, squeezing the man’s tanned hand with increased anxiety. Hinata smiled assuredly at his son.</p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>“Y-yeah.” Shuichi tapered. “I’m just a little scared.”</p><p>“Today will be fun, I promise. And if not, just remember our emergency cue to leave.”</p><p>Shuichi eased up. “Ca-caw!” He repeated much to Hinata’s amusement. Hinata knew his son’s bird call was terrible and anything but subtle but it was the only way Shuichi would agree to the play date. Not that he could blame the kid one bit for it.</p><p>Hinata walked forward, Shuichi consequentially pulled towards the minimal lobby. As Shuichi walked hand in hand with his guardian towards the row of elevators he started to wonder how today could go. As he entered the elevator he imagined Tsumugi as a literal tiny clone of her mother as far as her appearance went. While the doors closed and the cramped box moved up towards the 15th floor, his imagination ran wild with Mini Junko forcing him to play dress up with her. He already saw himself getting cornered as Tsumugi insisted he try on the maid outfit. </p><p>Before he could wallow in his own strange mental creation the elevator dinged, the doors opening back up to a hallway of black doors. The two turned to their right, pacing down to the final door in the hallway. Hinata pressed the button besides the door with the number “1516” on it, prompting a loud buzzing sound. </p><p>“It’s open!” A shrill voice shrieked from the other end. Hinata sighed before letting him and Shuichi into the apartment. </p><p>Junko’s apartment was appropriately lavish. Magazine covers and head shots of Enoshima littered the walls that weren’t covered with windows. As Shuichi removed his shoes he found himself drawn to the largest photo in the living room, a black and white picture of Junko dramatically lying with a tiger. Her lazy smile was one of supreme confidence. Shuichi instinctively walked closer to the photo, narrowing in on the large feline that looked rather unhappy upon close inspection. </p><p>“That was a real tiger, ya know.” A sickeningly familiar whispered in his ear. Shuichi jumped away from the supermodel behind him as she maliciously giggled. </p><p>“Hello to you too, Junko.” Hinata deadpanned. “Did you really have to sneak up on him like that?” </p><p>“Eh. Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Can’t change the fact I did it.” </p><p>Hinata glared dangerously at his client. Enoshima got the message quickly before rolling her eyes.</p><p>“I shouldn’t have spooked you there, sorry kid.” Junko said in the weakest apology she could muster. Truthfully while he did get a little startled Shuichi wasn’t actually upset. He was expecting such a move by the spiteful woman. </p><p>“I-it’s fine.” Shuichi waved off. “How did the tiger not attack you?” </p><p>“Heh, cause it knew better than to fuck with the true queen of the jungle.” Junko grinned. </p><p>“Queen of the jungle? You wish you were that intimidating.” A new voice called out from the couch. Shuichi quickly turned around discovering a muscular and freckled woman sitting at the edge of the black sofa. Was she always sitting there? </p><p>“Bite me, Mukuro.” Junko growled. Well, that answers who this mystery woman is. Even if only her name.</p><p>“To be fair Junko’s got some intimidation.” Hinata laughed. “In the way a lap dog gets mad I suppose.”</p><p>“Tch, what did I ever do to earn such mean treatment at the hands of my dear sister and most trusted manager?” Junko sarcastically complained.</p><p>“Oh where would I begin?” Hinata sighed.</p><p>Junko mimicked laughter before flipping Hinata off, shoving her hand right into her manager’s face. </p><p>“You must be Shuichi, correct?” Mukuro calmly asked the child as she leaned in her seat towards him.</p><p>“Y-yes ma’am.” Shuichi properly responded. Junko’s sister carried a similarly scary air to her, one less based on chaos and more of a cold authoritative presence. She was at least marginally calmer than her blond sister. Easing the tension, she managed a small if awkward smile at him.</p><p>“No need for formality, feel free to call me Ikusaba okay?” She tried to assure the child. Much to her relief he appeared to agree as his posture relaxed.   </p><p>“And to answer your question from earlier, we made sure to find the best trained tiger available for that shoot. Turns out finding one was far more trouble than expected.” Ikusaba calmly recollected as she rose out of her seat and walked towards the kitchen. “Hajime here did his due diligence on salvaging that shoot as much as he could.” She offhandedly praised.</p><p>“I did graduate with the Ultimate Breeder after all. And the Ultimate Photographer…” Hinata then turned to Shuichi. “Never underestimate the power of networking.” Shuichi had no idea what his guardian was talking about but he still made a mental note to remember the advice.</p><p>“Oh yeah, Both Tanaka and Koizumi were at that shoot.” Junko recollected. “That was a fun day!”</p><p>“… You do remember why neither of them have worked with you since, right?” Hinata exasperated. </p><p>Junko thought about that for a moment before breaking out into a wicked laugh. “Hey the end result was worth it in the end, right? In my defense I haven’t even touched bars since that shoot.” </p><p>“Bars of what?” Shuichi asked.</p><p>“Er, why don’t we get you situated with the girls Shuichi?” Ikusaba hastily suggested as she guided him away from the conversation. Her refusal to answer his question was a hint that Shuichi did not miss. Besides Shuichi was here to meet their daughters and not listen to Junko ramble about her escapades that nearly ended her career.  </p><p>“I’ll be here if you need me!” Hinata called out.</p><p>Shuichi was led to a hallway with four wooden doors and even more photos of Junko on the walls. As he was being led further down the hall Ikusaba stopped at a door midway. </p><p>“Here’s the bathroom in case you need to take care of business.” She showed off, opening the door slightly to reveal a pristinely white room. The tub, toilet, and sink were all spotless. Shuichi was comforted in knowing Junko took hygiene seriously. He didn’t get a long look at the room before being guided to the end of the hall. Ikusaba slowly opened the door revealing a bedroom with two girls about Shuichi’s age. On the bed a girl with long dark hair was glossing over a manga while a blue haired girl with glasses was fitting a small hat on a familiar black and white teddy bear.</p><p>“Girls, this is Shuichi.” Ikusaba introduced once everyone was in the room. The two children watched him carefully as he carefully marched ahead. He halted once he reached the middle of the room before nervously waving at the girls. </p><p>“Hello there!” The blue haired girl happily greeted, stepping away from her teddy bear to meet this new child. “My name is Tsumugi if you’ll care enough to remember. I hope we can be friends.” Shuichi curtly shook her hand, relieved at her manners while also put off by her self deprecation. The handshake was cut short when Tsumugi made a beeline for her closet.</p><p>Ikusaba walked over to the other child on the bed, the grumpy looking girl hiding her face behind long black pigtails. “And this little ray of sunshine is Maki.” Ikusaba introduced with an appropriate level of teasing as she embraced the shy girl. </p><p>“Mommmmmm.” Maki groaned without fighting the hug. </p><p>“Oh hush.” Ikusaba whispered before planting a quick kiss on Maki's little forehead. She knew her daughter inherited her tsundere tendencies but she’d be damned before her own flesh and blood felt unloved. Besides what’s the fun in being a parent without embarrassing your child a little bit.</p><p>“Mukuro get your ass back here!” Junko called out from the living room, effectively ending the introductions. </p><p>The freckled lady sighed deeply. “Alright, we’ll be in the other room if you need us. Please don’t interrupt unless it’s an emergency. Play nice now.” Ikusaba instructed as she turned back to the living room. Once she reached the door she couldn’t help but look back at the three children. She offered an assuring smile to the clearly nervous Hinata boy, or whatever his last name is. She wasn’t sure if Hajime had officially adopted him yet. Shuichi gulped but weakly smiled back before Ikusaba closed the door behind her.</p><p>Maki failed to move a muscle now that the three were alone, silently watching the sweating Saihara boy. As the girl studied him with wavering levels of intrigue Shuichi was praying she couldn’t sense his fear. Meeting new people has always been terrifying for him. Meeting other children in particular brought on heavy layers of dread to the shy child. Not making Shuichi feel any easier is the fact that Tsumugi emerged from the closet with a tape measure and notepad in hand as she approached him. The open closet door revealed a wardrobe full of costumes and fabric.  </p><p>“What are you doing?” Shuichi squeaked. </p><p>“I’m taking your measurements!” Tsumugi excitably revealed as she grabbed Shuichi’s arm.</p><p>“My measurements? For what?” </p><p>“For your cosplay! How else are we supposed to make costumes?” </p><p>“My what!?” Shuichi squeaked.</p><p>“Have you never heard of cosplay? What kind of rock do you live under?” Tsumugi growled all while raising Shuichi’s arm to measure his side.</p><p>“Tsumugi calm down.” Maki warned. “Cosplaying is when you dress up like characters from video games, movies, anime. Nerd stuff really. Tsumugi’s been making her own costumes lately and loves to make people act as her dress up dolls.” Maki side-eyed her cousin as she explained, her cold tone remaining icy. </p><p>“But I never agreed to play dress up!” Despite his complaints Shuichi hesitated to stop Tsumugi, her relation to Junko making him reluctant to resist. As concerned as he was for any inner wrath Tsumugi had yet to even hint at, Shuichi was far more worried about the intimidation Maki wore on her sleeve as she studied him from afar. </p><p>“Just trust Tsumugi on this.” Maki ordered, not having any better ideas on how to kill time. “Her mom was the Ultimate Fashionista after all.”</p><p>“Ultimate Fashionista? What does that mean?” The tile of “Ultimate” sounded vaguely familiar. Was it Komaeda who mentioned it? Shuichi thought it was likely, Komaeda was always going on weird tangents.</p><p>“It means my momma could walk around in nothing but a garbage bag and within a week any loser who thinks they’re somebody is going to copy her.” Tsumugi repeated her mother nearly word for word.</p><p>“I… see.” Shuichi gawked as Tsumugi measured his legs. </p><p>“She isn’t kidding. I can ask my mom for photos if you don’t believe her.” Maki offered. </p><p>Shuichi considered that proposition for a moment. “Remind me later.” Tsumugi then shot up on her feet, jotting down her finishing notes on her notepad. The young cosplayer smiled at her new friend, Shuichi’s embarrassment preventing him from properly returning the favor.</p><p>“It’s your lucky day Shuichi! You should be able to fit into most of my outfits.” Tsumugi cheerily announced. </p><p>“Oh joy.” Shuichi deadpanned, his eyes properly glued to the floor.</p><p>“What’s the matter?” Tsumugi asked, unable to pick up on Shuichi’s reluctance. “Are you afraid of your dad seeing you in a costume or something?” She guessed.</p><p>“No! No, that’s not it at all. Hinata wouldn’t care, I think.” Shuichi explained.</p><p>“Hmmmm.” Something didn't add up to Tsumugi. ““Hinata”, you call your dad by his name?” She prodded.</p><p>“He… isn’t my dad.” Shuichi forced himself to say.</p><p>“Ohhh. So are you Mr. Hinata’s younger brother then?” Tsumugi guessed.</p><p>“N-no. He’s my guardian. I guess you could say he’s my new dad. One of them at least.”</p><p>“Guardian? What happened to your old dad?”</p><p>“He went to jail.”</p><p>“Oh.” Tsumugi coughed up after swallowing her own embarrassment. </p><p>“I’m sorry to hear.” Maki sympathized.</p><p>“It’s okay.” Shuichi weakly assured. “My guardians are nice people. Really nice people in fact. I’ve only known them for a few months now and they’ve already taken better care of me than my father ever did if I’m being honest.” Shuichi was only made aware of his increasing volume when Tsumugi recoiled. Maki’s demeanor softened as she approached him. His plight with his bio-dad was all too familiar to her. </p><p>“S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” Shuichi apologized.</p><p>“It’s cool.” Maki dryly assured. “I don’t like my dad much either.”</p><p>“Why don’t we start our cosplay now?” Tsumugi awkwardly offered. She was desperate to change the subject and lighten the mood back up. She couldn’t relate to a bad dad, her father doing his best to raise her on only the finest anime. </p><p>“Sure, why not?” Shuichi uncomfortably decided. He reckoned he didn’t have much of a say about it with Tsumugi in the first place. Better this than talking about the uncomfortable past.</p><p>“Alright.” Maki huffed. She had a bad feeling Tsumugi already had something in mind with her, as she always did. It was too late to get out of it peacefully.</p><p>“Perfect, why don’t we go through my wardrobe and see if anything catches your eye.” Tsumugi happily offered.  </p><p>—-</p><p>How anyone could get comfortable wearing a tuxedo was beyond Shuichi as he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was appreciative that Tsumugi gave him a simple costume to start out with, a black and white suit with a top hat and dramatic cape. Shuichi had to lie when he said he knew who “Mamoru Chiba” was to avoid another scolding from Tsumugi. While standing in Junko Emoshima’s bathroom playing dress up was far from how Shuichi thought his day would go, he found going along with the ride a lot easier as it went on.  </p><p>As Shuichi slipped the top hat on top of his head he hummed in quiet content. Despite his earlier protests Shuichi found himself having more fun cosplaying than he thought he’d have. If only he was more familiar with the character he was dressing up as. He made a mental note to ask Nanami about this “Sailor Moon” when he got home. </p><p>Stepping out of the bathroom, Shuichi heard snip bits of the conversation in the living room.</p><p>“How many times do I have to tell you not to advertise that video on Twitter!” Hinata yelled. </p><p>“But then how else will people know it’s out there?” Junko retorted as if her manager is an idiot.</p><p>Shuichi thought better about snooping in on the rest of the conversation as he walked back to the bedroom where Maki was brushing Tsumugi’s hair. Both girls were now wearing their cosplay. Tsumugi was in a purple dress complete with a necklace and tiara. Maki in turn was adorned in a white and red sailor suit complimented with her own tiara, if one that was less glamorous than Tsumugi’s. While she gently combed her cousin's hair she was clearly miffed. Likely due to her costume Shuichi mused to himself. </p><p>“So uh, what do you guys think?” Shuichi asked. Tsumugi’s eyes widened as a fierce smile took over her face. </p><p>“You look lovely Shuichi! I knew you’d be a perfect Tuxedo Mask.” Tsumugi praised as she sang her approval of the costume her momma finished for her. </p><p>“T-thank you. Just out of curiosity where did you get this costume?”</p><p>“Oh that’s just a regular tuxedo my momma bought. She also sewed the cape on for me, momma says I’m too little to use the sewing machine by myself.” Tsumugi revealed as she huffed about the one consistent rule between her momma and dad. </p><p>“Your mom helps you with your cosplay?” Shuichi asked with no shortage of shock.</p><p>“All the time! She puts make-up on me and helps if I’m struggling with a costume. She’ll even dress up with me on a good day.”</p><p>Shuichi was in disbelief. Did Junko Enoshima have a soft spot in her after all? Tsumugi talked about her “momma” in a blindingly glowing light. A part of him felt bad for doubting Junko’s parenting ability despite his fair reasoning for uncertainty. But then he remembered his first encounter with Enoshima and all of a sudden his doubt felt more justified. </p><p>“Why do you seem surprised?” Tsumugi asked.</p><p>“Oh no reason!” Shuichi lied. Thankfully for him either Tsumugi was even worse than him at picking up sarcasm or she didn’t truly care. Maki on the other hand merely smirked to herself as she finished combing Tsumugi’s hair. Maki loved her Aunt Junko and all but she had to agree that she was more than a handful to be around. </p><p>“So, now what?” Shuichi asked, expecting a new step in whatever plan Tsumugi had up her sleeve. </p><p>“You know, I don’t actually know.” Tsumugi admitted. “We could try on another costume but…”</p><p>“But what?” Shuichi pried.</p><p>“But I’m kind of bored now. Cosplaying isn’t as fun when I can’t get momma to help me.” </p><p>A part of Shuichi wished Tsumugi came to this realization before giving him his costume. A bigger part of him did understand her at least. He was a little jealous that Tsumugi had a hobby she could share with her mom at all. Sure, Shuichi enjoyed playing new video games with Nanami but his passion for interactive entertainment would never be the same as his foster mothers. Granted he’s still only known his new parents for three months so the rational voice in him knew it was easy for things to change. </p><p>“Earth to Shuichi?” Maki briskly snapped, Shuichi’s sudden silence breaking like glass. </p><p>“Oh nothing, just thinking of what we could do now.” Shuichi brushed aside, his face beet red with embarrassment. Maki glared at him, seeing through his thinly veiled lie. </p><p>“Wanna watch a show?” Tsumugi suggested with growing enthusiasm. </p><p>“Sure.” Maki shrugged. </p><p>“Is it going to be an anime?” Shuichi carefully asked.  </p><p>“Well duhhhh, what else would we watch silly?” Tsumugi responded with glee.</p><p>“What did you have in mind?” Maki asked.</p><p>“Well I was watching this one show at my dad’s before momma picked me up…” Tsumugi tapered off before grabbing the remote on the bedside table.</p><p>Shuichi felt uneasy as Tsumugi booted up the mini smart TV on the dresser, going straight for the Crunchyroll app. Tsumugi went straight for the first show in her recently watched list, an anime called “Elfen Lied”. </p><p>“What’s this show even about?” Shuichi meekly asked. </p><p>“Some girl gets mind powers and uses it to rip people in half!” Tsumugi revealed with a little too much excitement. </p><p>“Sounds… violent.” Shuichi flinched.</p><p>“Relax, it’s only fiction Shuichi it can’t hurt you.”  Tsumugi pleaded.</p><p>“I don’t know Tsumugi, I don’t think he’s as used to those kinds of shows as we are.” Maki tried to reason with her cousin.</p><p>“Well the only way to get used to it is by exposure!” Tsumugi retorted, Maki’s concerns falling on deaf ears as she selected the oddly named show. Shuichi nervously swallowed as the opera intro music began playing.</p><p>“I-it’s just a cartoon.” Shuichi thought to himself. “How bad can it really be?”</p><p>—-</p><p>Ikusaba was instinctively suspicious when she hadn’t heard a peep from the kids aside from the occasional opening and closing of the bathroom door. She did say only interrupt in case of an emergency but military service prepares someone for the worse. Reaching the bedroom door, Ikusaba deeply inhaled and exhaled before grabbing the doorknob and twisting. </p><p>“Hey kids.” Ikusaba greeted as she walked into the bedroom. Her greeting was immediately droned out by Shuichi crying on the bed, her daughter laying down right next to him trying her hardest to calm him down.</p><p>“Oh my god, Shuichi are you okay?” Ikusaba called out, rushing over towards the children. </p><p>“They killed the dogggggg.” He cried out, unable to comprehend how someone would be so cruel to such a small animal. He knew it wasn’t real but the rest of the show had put him on edge as it is. Why would anyone enjoy watching such a miserable anime was a mystery to Shuichi. A question he was unwilling to answer. </p><p>“Killed the dog? What the hell did you two put on?!” Ikusaba asked.</p><p>“I tried telling Tsumugi to put something else on but she wouldn’t listen.” Maki glared towards the other, pouting girl.</p><p>“How was I supposed to know Shuichi would freak out?!” Tsumugi defended. “That dog dying isn’t even the worst thing that happens in Elfen Lied…”</p><p>Ikusaba sighed. She vaguely remembered that anime, memories of Ryota talking about it in high school rushing back to her. Details of the protagonists carnage sticking out to her even after all of these years. Bloodshed that paled in comparison to the one she’s experienced. Bloodshed that would still upset a sweet child like Shuichi. “Girls, what did I say about picking appropriate shows to watch.”</p><p>“Just because we can watch it doesn’t mean other kids can.” Both girls repeated.</p><p>“Exactly. Now, why don’t we put something a little less… intense that you can all enjoy?” Ikusaba suggested as she knelt down besides the sniffling boy. </p><p>“Oh I know the perfect anime that-” Tsumugi tried to suggest.</p><p>“Oh no, you’ve lost that privilege for now.” Ikusaba scolded before turning her attention back to Shuichi.</p><p>“Please calm down.” She awkwardly pleaded as she grabbed the boy's hand, a feeble attempt at soothing him. She was used to giving her own kid a comforting hug when she got upset but Ikusaba was not going to overstep her boundaries. </p><p>“B-but the puppy.” Shuichi whimpered. </p><p>“They didn’t kill a real puppy though.” Ikusaba sighed. “Not to say it wasn’t traumatic to see, trust me when I was your age that show would have upset me too.” She was lying of course, but she had to do what she could to get Shuichi to calm down. “Just take a deep breath and we can watch something to help you forget about that violent Elfen Lied bullshit.”</p><p>Much to Ikusabas’ relief (and surprise) Shuichi managed to silence his sniffles before taking three deep breaths. As he exhaled deeply for the last time Shuichi understood that some TV shows are not meant for kids like him to watch. It didn’t answer why anyone would consider such melancholy media “entertainment” but it was best to not get hung up about it. Ikusaba was right, no dog was actually hurt and everything is okay.</p><p>“T-thank you.” Shuichi mumbled. </p><p>“Don’t mention it”. Ikusaba flashed a genuine smile as she brushed his hair out of his face. “What do you want to watch now?” She asked. </p><p>Shuichi pondered for a long moment before conceding. He could never decide even when he had Netflix opened in front of him. The gluttony of choice made picking a single show overwhelming. So why not pass the remote over to the last person in the room.</p><p>“D-do you have any suggestions Maki?” Shuichi asked.</p><p>“Why don’t we watch Pokemon?” Maki offhandedly suggested. She was only familiar with the show thanks to her friend Kaito, but it was the first thing that wasn’t scary in any way she could think of.</p><p>“Great idea.” Ikusaba praised. “Does Pokemon sound better?” </p><p>“Actually, yes it does.” Shuichi eased. While never having seen the show, he knew enough about Pokemon from the video games that he could trust no one died in the anime.   </p><p>—-</p><p>“Bye Shuichi!” Tsumugi’s final goodbye yelled out from the now closed front door. Both Shuichi and Hinata shared a sigh of relief as they walked to the elevator.</p><p>“Long day with Junko?” Shuichi asked.</p><p>“Every day with Junko is a long day.” Hinata chuckled. “Long day with the girls?” </p><p>“You could say that yeah.” Shuichi admitted as the elevator arrived at their floor. </p><p>“Did you at least have fun with Tsumugi and Maki today?” Hinata asked as he pressed the button back down to the surface. </p><p>“Yeah, until Tsumugi made me watch a dog die.” Shuichi nonchalantly revealed. </p><p>“Until Tsumugi WHAT?!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>shout out to erin for proofreading for me. </p><p>I hope this chapter was worth the wait.</p>
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